The Gemini Project
by kremesch
Summary: [RenoXRufus][Turks][Yaoi][third person POV] Sequel to The Dance of the Macabre. Not enough space to summarize properly. Please check first chapter for better summary. UNDER REVISION.
1. Prologue

**The Gemini Project**

**By: kremesch**

**Prologue**

* * *

**Content:** Sequel to _The Dance of the Macabre_. Runo: RufusXReno, and the others that existed in DOM. Language, Sex, Alcohol, Violence, Torture, and Cruelty. Should be rated MA+ for content that may be considered disturbing to sensitive individuals, and the dark undertone in which I write.

**Head-Note: **There isn't necessarily a reason to read _The Dance of the Macabre_. But I will not take responsibility for any confusion and possible brain damage caused by attempting to bypass that ridiculously long prelude full of insanity and twisted plot-lines. So, even though I'm not attempting to sell myself shamelessly, it is recommended to read it first… For the sake of the greater good.

**Summary:** It's been five years since the explosion at the underground Nibelheim Reactor, and as it seems, there is still no rest for those that reside within the walls of Shinra. Only this time, secrets become much harder to keep and deception seems to plummet from unsuspected depths as motives become highly questionable. In a world where nothing's as it seems, one person has lost his memory, and it's up to the other's to try and get him to remember who's side he's really on in hopes that he's on their side and willing to help them. But as it turns out, his lack of memory is the least of their problems.

**My Typical Turk-related Warning:** I don't view the Turks as people that come from good homes, or people that play with puppy dogs and kittens (they're assassins and kidnappers. Play the game for the first time, or again if you don't believe me). Regardless of how adorable Reno is to some, he simply isn't the type of person who is a good person or comes from a good place, even though he does have a soft side. Let's all remember that he single-handedly dropped the plate on Sector 7, shall we? I feel this to be a fair warning to people that expect to see him as a playful good guy. He works for Rufus Shinra for Pete's Sake (once again, I'll refer to the game)! AND he enjoys it! What else would you expect of him? Read on at your own risk.

**Disclaimer:** All FFVII characters, places, references, etc belong to Square.

This story is my own take on where the characters go after Advent Children and my messed up prequel. Therefore, the imagination is mine. :)

* * *

"He's not stabilizing."

Erryn stood in the hallway of the infirmary outside of the redheaded Turk's private room, nervously shifting her weight and swallowing as she regarded the eyes of the slender Wutian who seemed somewhat lost in thought, making her even more nervous by his silence.

"I thought it would pass… But it's like he won't stop shifting between personalities and he won't respond to anything… He's getting worse…"

Still silent, Tseng turned his unfocused attention from Erryn's grey eyes toward the room where the young President was kept under sedation. Concerned over the fact that it had been six days since they discovered the redhead was still alive, only to discover that the fate of his life remained in dire question, he found himself in a position he wasn't particularly fond of.

"The bacteria in his system aren't helping matters either… I've had to increase his dosage to counteract it…"

She knew the Wutian wasn't listening to her, and silently, she kept telling herself to be quiet. But instead, she only wound up talking more, unable to stop her nervous chattering.

"This of course, is causing a problem with the Mako in his system wanting to start working on his injuries… Not to mention that he took a serious blow to the head, and I'm worried that his memory might be affected… Normally, the Mako would fix that, but it seems to be going haywire on him… Because the Jenova is active and it's like they're not getting along but tolerating each other…

"And I have no idea what the hell it's doing… It's like it's just wandering around in him… Like it's looking for something… But the Mako keeps gettin in its way… But that's good because whatever it's doing, it seems to be keeping the Mako from interacting with the dust…"

In fact, she knew so well that Tseng wasn't listening to her, that she wasn't even facing him as she more or less spoke to the wall at the opposite side while she waved her hands around in emphasis of what she was saying.

Maybe she was just saying it out loud to work out a solution in her own head, and the fact that Tseng was standing nearby, helped to make it look like she wasn't some kind of loon talking to herself.

No matter though, she was well aware of the fact that Tseng was more concerned over how Rufus would react when he came out of his own treatment and didn't bother to hold his divided attention against him. After all, at that moment, things seemed like they couldn't possibly be worse.

"All I can say is that he's damn lucky that pyramid protected him from the blast, or there wouldn't even be a particle left of him to clone."

The thought was tempting to Tseng. But he knew better than to entertain it. There'd been enough troubles with such actions in the past and he wasn't about to go there again. However, that wasn't to say that Rufus wouldn't entertain the idea enough to materialize it, given the uncertain mental state he was in and may wind up staying in. The thought made Tseng shudder enough to snap him back over to Erryn's attention with an even more uncertain thought.

Before speaking, he silently cursed under his breath and prayed to his gods that what he was suggesting wasn't going to be a mistake. He knew it was something Rufus had planned on ever since he discovered Reno was ill, but he still wasn't certain it was one of the best ideas the younger man had ever had.

Even more so, he knew damn-well it was something Reno would have never consented to. But like Tseng had said in the past, and would most-likely continue to say… Rufus was his priority. So, with that thought in mind, he hesitantly wiped at his mouth almost like it was his attempt to stop the words from coming out. But they came out nonetheless.

"You said you fixed the stasis chamber designed for Reno… Correct?"

With a stunned look on her face, she swiped a stray lock from her face to place it behind her ear, and locked her eyes with Tseng's in an almost dreadful state of question. "Reno would rather be dead than be in a Cryo-pod… He's terrified of the idea," she said with a quick shake to her head and a mild, disbelieving snicker in hopes that the Wutian was only joking.

Of course, she knew he wasn't, but she'd always known about Reno's unquestionable fear of anything that took his will away from him, even though she never really knew why, and she knew he wouldn't be too happy if he wound up losing years of his life, since that was also something that seemed to be an issue for him.

About the best she could figure from the duration she'd known him when they were younger was that something terribly traumatic had happened to the younger redhead, but she never knew the extent of what it was. Even despite the fact that she knew the other redhead, that had come to be known as Aldrich, dominated him in ways that she didn't even want to know about, she was pretty sure there was more to it.

Perhaps that was what kept her concerned about him despite everything he'd done to her. She wasn't really sure.

"Yes, well I'm not sure how much you know about either of them," Tseng started, and took a sip of the coffee he was holding while working out the best way to say what he was going to say in his head before actually saying it, "But let me just say that I'd rather deal with Reno's temper over the loss of time than Rufus' unpredictable nature over not getting what he wants."

When all Erryn did was stand in front of the man and wander her eyes all over his face like she was attempting to read something, Tseng added with a slight tightness to his throat, "Reno is less-likely to kill the people he cares about without warning."

And then he finished what was left in his cup before discarding it while ordering her to prepare the chamber and have Reno secured within it before the end of the day, knowing it was the only way to force the Turk's body to stabilize, even if it was in a state of non-existence.

All she did in response was nervously gulp as her stomach tightened and she watched the Wutian's back while he walked away from her and entered Rufus' room with not so much as a slight glance in her direction.

Then the terror sunk in when she realized there was nothing else she could have done, and she had no idea where to even start or how she was going to be dealt with if things went any more wrong than they had already gone.

_Look at the bright side Erryn… _

At least his system would be shut down, forcing the Mako to remain at bay, leaving her to work on the bacteria without any unpredictable interference. With that in mind, all she had to do was focus on a cure, and if Reno had told her the truth about Rufus, then he would most-likely leave her alone if she proved herself worthy enough to keep around.

_That's right, Erryn… There's always a bright side. _

Of course, she was completely unaware of the events that took place just shortly after the destruction of the underground Mako refinery, and was therefore, completely unaware of how wrong things had already gone.

* * *

Six years after the underground Reactor Incident…

… … …

The light was flickering with a merciless constancy, making him dizzy and almost sick as he watched the pinkish water spiral down the drain. It reminded him of things he wished he wasn't thinking of.

Even more so, it seemed to be punishing him for what he'd just done, for the grave mistake he'd possibly made. But was it a mistake? He just didn't know anymore. All he did know was that he hoped against all possible hope that it wasn't a mistake, that he did the right thing.

_Oh, Gaia…_ how he wished he'd done the right thing.

With thoughts no longer suppressed, they were coming out verbally as he muttered away to himself in agonizing reminders while washing the blood off the blade in his hand and himself, refusing to acknowledge what appeared in the mirror before him.

"Ya told me it'd be okay…" he muttered in a voice riddled with agony, and grimaced at the dull pain in his gut while grasping his arm over the wound, "He said we'd work it out… everythin'd be fine…

"Well…

"YA FUCKIN LIED TA ME!"

With a violent throw, the balanced knife wound up in the closed door behind him, and with a cry from somewhere deep within, he fell to the floor from a sudden wave of exhaustion. With the blood streaked behind him on the counter of the sink as he slid down it, he sat there, silent, with his legs listlessly spread out in front of him, staring at the door and dreading what was on the other side.

Nothing ever went as planned, he thought. Nothing ever worked out the way he wanted it to, and nothing ever allowed him one moment's peace. How he hated the thought of what his life had become, and how he hated the fact that he once thought he could change things only to find out that he was never the one in control. He was nothing but a useless servant to everyone else's desires and whims, and he never stood a chance.

Yeah… He knew what his purpose in life was… He'd come to figure it out, and decided that he knew it well…

He was a tool.

Nothing but a fucking tool for everyone else to use and to constantly manipulate… That's what he was; he was sure of it.

If there was ever a reason for him to hate the God's that made his existence plausible, he figured the reason was simply due to the fact that his pointless life existed, and he never hated them more. Everything in his life seemed like it only went direly wrong. Everything went considerably wrong… particularly after…

Rufus…

"Fuckin five years…" he muttered quietly, suddenly calm, but in a spent way. Five years of his life was lost to him. Five years of everything that happened around him was gone. For five years, he spent his time agelessly in a stasis pod, doing nothing but lose time. Like a test subject, he felt, and he wondered if it would ever end. Was that his prime purpose in life? To be studied and played with? Picked at and toyed with?

By everyone?

"Five years…" he quietly repeated again, and then he pushed himself up with a new source of energy and bellowed out while holding his hand over his gut, "YOU STOLE MY FUCKING LIFE!"

But there wasn't really anyone there to be yelling at and he wasn't really sure exactly who he was angry with, because he wasn't really sure what the hell was going on anymore. He wasn't even sure of his own judgements and actions. They played with his head… every single one of them…

They all took his reality and turned it into what _they _wanted it to be, leaving him with no clue over what his reality really was anymore.

Of course, he was telling himself most of this due to the fact that he didn't really know if his conclusions were correct, and passing the blame made his possible mistake easier to deal with. Because it wasn't just _them _that he couldn't trust; he couldn't trust himself either. _They_ weren't the only ones messing with his head.

With a hopelessly felt reluctance, he turned to the mirror to see that he'd missed a good quantity of the blood smeared on his face, neck, and shirt, and in a fit, he ripped his shirt off and whipped it several times on the counter before throwing it angrily to the corner of the room. Then he stood there, panting and licking his lips like a wild animal, staring at himself, but not really seeing himself.

He wound up going past the image and playing the scenario over in his head again, looking for some sort of assurance. Suddenly nodding to himself as if he'd found the answer he was seeking, or at the very least, he'd convinced himself he'd found it, he tapped the light to try and stop it from flickering. Then he grabbed a Hi-Potion from the cabinet, swallowed it without so much as a thought, and turned the tap back on to quickly wash away the remainder of the blood while the surface of his wound slowly healed from the aid of the Potion.

It would have healed much faster if he had a Cure Materia around, but even then, it was doubtful he'd use it. He'd always been somewhat skittish when it came to any kind of Materia that had healing and reviving qualities, and he had valid reasons for the repulsion. But they weren't very well known to the public.

Once he was done and found some gauze to dress his wound, he ran his hand through the front of his crimson locks that hung loosely in his face and took a deep breath before opening the door to face the nightmare that waited on the other side. He decided he'd ignore it though. He decided he wasn't going to give in to his inner struggles, and he decided that he would have to rectify his actions even though he didn't really know if he could.

Stepping over the lifeless body that was almost blocking the entrance to the bathroom from which the redhead came, he started muttering away to himself. He muttered things like, "Ya had it comin ya sonuvabitch," and, "Should'na been fuckin with my head," while he rummaged through the closet to find a shirt to wear.

All the while, he kept looking at the row of silken white before him and swallowed nervously until he finally rested his hand on one of his own, more blue-toned, shirts and quickly put it on, ignoring the black jackets that were also a part of the uniform he was told he used to wear.

He wasn't a Turk anymore anyway… There would have been no point in sporting the attire. But it didn't stop him from grabbing a pair of the black pants, also hanging in there, and replacing the blood-soiled ones he was wearing with them.

"Ya stupid piece'a shit," he grumbled, as he adjusted his collar and set his eyes on the contorted body lying in a pool of its own blood. Then a lump rose in his throat and he made his best attempt to clear it before instinctively moving toward the lifeless heap that was still wearing a white outfit of unnecessary layers.

Only it wasn't so white anymore.

"Tell me I did'n make a mistake," he quietly said, almost bitterly to some unknown entity that may or may not have been listening while he knelt beside the figure and gently ran his fingers through the golden strands that had become more ashen over the years he'd missed out on.

_Nnngg, Gaia… _

"Tell me I did the right thing…" he choked in a soft and whiny tone, but he wasn't really sure who he was talking to anymore.

He was trying to reassure himself again, as he leaned closer to peer into the steely-blue eyes that returned no focus. Instead, they looked upward at nothing in particular, and he moved his hand to firmly brush his fingers over them to close the lids and confidentially whispered, "Ya tried ta kill me, ya stupid shit."

However, did he really need to respond the way that he did? Couldn't he have exercised some form of self-control? Surely, he'd become more than capable of defending himself when the need arose.

Did he really need to fatally stab the man, more than once?

Questions…

They were nothing more than unnecessary questions, and questions seemed to be one of those things that rarely got answered.

But maybe he could try. Maybe he could solve his problems. Then again, maybe he should have been thinking more about leaving the building before the others realized what just happened. With all the thoughts and hopes that ran through his head, he really didn't have the time to wait out an incarceration and try to explain why things went the way they did.

No…

He had more important things to do.

* * *

Two hours later…

A stalky-built Wutian sat at his desk in his Kalm-located office, surrounded by his partners and one who worked below him. He was a tall and lean blonde, and he took his place to stand respectively behind his Boss, slightly to the man's left, and slouched against the wall with an amused look on his face as the men filled his Boss in on the information and handed him the recording.

It was a recording of the redhead leaving his and Rufus' apartment. Of course that wasn't what the concern was, nor was there really anything odd about it, at least not at first glance. There was something strange about the way he stopped though, and the way he turned his attention to the cameras that he knew the Wutian had access to.

There was something challenging about the way he tilted his head forward and toothily grinned in a feral manner while a flash of blue danced across his eyes. It could have been everyone's imagination, but it was doubtful. In fact, there was very little doubt that the redhead was letting him know he was coming for him, but why he was on the PHS and still grinning while staring at the camera with solid-blue eyes was confusing, to say the least.

That wasn't exactly the most disturbing thing the Boss had ever seen before though. He'd had his life threatened on several occasions and paid it no mind, and he'd certainly seen stranger things in his days, considering his line of work.

What he did find disturbing though, was when the recording was forwarded and the dead President to the Shinra Electric Power Company was being taken out of his apartment in a body bag. Why did this disturb the man who'd always wanted to take Shinra down though?

It disturbed him because he realized the redhead was the one who made the anonymous call for the MPs to find the deceased Shinra heir.

Perhaps it bothered him because it had something to do with his plans…

Plans that he'd managed to keep a secret for close to thirty years as he sat by, patiently watching and waiting for something to happen so that he could sneak in and take action. Only now, he couldn't. He couldn't because the redhead made damn sure that the Turks and everyone else in the building knew Rufus was dead, making it impossible to pull the strings from behind an invisible curtain anymore.

"Fucking, Renault!" he bellowed out, and slammed his fist onto the surface of his desk.

With a short snicker, the blonde behind him reached into his chest-pocket and pulled out a cigarette, "I told you he couldn't be trusted."

With an unimpressed snort, the Wutian commented on the fact that Renault couldn't even trust himself, never mind the fact that no one else could, while he tapped his ring on the surface of his desk in thought. Then he ran his eyes over the men in the room and let out a heavy sigh to relieve his tension before warning them to be extra careful with the redhead when he showed up.

"He's dangerous and unpredictable," he cautioned, while the blonde behind him snickered carelessly and took a drag from his cigarette.

Ignoring the man behind him, the Wutian continued with his briefing.

"And to top it off, he has the training of a Turk… _But_," he stressed and glanced sideways in irritation when he heard the blonde push himself away from the wall and come up behind him, "He _will _be alone… And you'll all stand a better chance if you remain in large groups."

After taking another drag from his cigarette, the blonde placed his hand on the Wutian's shoulder, irritating the man even more, and offered, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Don't be a fool, you idiot," the Wutian snapped, and pushed the hand from his shoulder in disapproval of the contact, "We're not just dealing with a damn _Turk_!"

"Oh, that's right… We're dealing with your most prized possession," the blonde taunted, and snickered again before taking another drag and moving to stand directly behind his boss.

Suddenly reminded of Aldrich's constant antagonistic behaviour, as he often was, he decided to play along with the worthless insubordinate that stood behind him. "Not anymore," he mumbled, and tapped his ring on the desk again, "And _you're_ hardly any match for that psychopath."

Snickering again, the blonde reached over and placed his cigarette in the tray on the desk and then returned to his position while the Wutian continued to address his men in matters of caution. All the while, the man made every attempt to ignore the hands that rested lightly on his shoulders as they started to massage the stress away.

Rolling his eyes at the fact that the menace always picked the worst times to act like a fucking overly-agreeable subservient when he knew damn-well he was nowhere near such a title, the Wutian let out a deep sigh again and made his best attempt to ignore the little shit standing behind him.

Perhaps he underestimated the blonde though, more so than he'd ever underestimated anybody else in his entire life. And perhaps that was the biggest mistake he'd ever made.

Because the moment he went to open his mouth in terms of Reno's stealth and almost ghost-like mannerism when it came to attacking, his words were suddenly cut off by the pressure of his tie being pulled viciously around his neck by one hand as another quickly snaked its way down to grab the gun from his own holster.

Then faster than even the men in front of him could react, the shots were fired with a frightening and fatal accuracy, leaving only the two of them in the room together, alone.

"What… the hell… are you… doing…?" the Wutian gasped out between choked breaths, as the gun was dropped to the floor and both hands were holding the tie more securely around his neck while he was pulled back and out of his chair by the pressure.

"Something that should have been done a long time ago," came the answer that was chillingly controlled and calm.

"You… He'll come… for you… too…" he warned, in an attempt to make the wretched beast see reason and let go.

"I look forward to it," commented the blonde, and pulled the tie even tighter while quickly wrapping it around once more with a determined grip.

After minutes of struggling and choked attempts to get the blonde to release him, he began to grow weak from the lack of oxygen. Then what seemed like minutes more, he finally gave into an unconsciousness that he could no longer fight, and he fell to the floor as the blonde let go and knelt down to casually pick the gun back up and reload it.

"In fact, I believe I'm more than _capable_ of handling _Renault_," he stated with a strangely positive attitude and pulled the trigger to ensure that his efforts were not done in vain.

That was, of course, before a self-satisfied smile crossed his lips at the thought of what he'd do with _Reno_ once he was reunited with him again.

* * *

Revised: August 17, 2010


	2. If the Walls Could Talk

**If the walls could talk **

* * *

One year earlier... Five years after the underground reactor incident…

… … …

Shinra…

It was believed that if the walls of Shinra could talk, they'd have one hell of a story to tell. Everyone knew that the place practically had a life of its own, and it even seemed to possess its own set of eyes and ears apart from those that controlled it. This seemed to be a trait that belonged to the Shinra of old as well.

If only they could speak, they would tell you that nearly everyone who resided within had there own little closet full of dark and dirty secrets since they'd gained the trust of those who unknowingly confided in them.

For instance, they might have told you that Elena Perkins lied about her age when she first pushed her deceptive weight through the front doors of the Shinra building several years ago to ambitiously climb her way up the ladder. They might also tell you that she lied about her heritage as well, and luckily for her, there was a deceased MP officer who also sported the same last name she claimed dependency to.

That was a lie though. What she decided not to tell anyone was that she was raised on a small farm outside of Kalm, and the only reason she knew how to use firearms and cutlery was because her father taught her how to slaughter and butcher the animals they raised. Not to mention that she often had to shoot the wild animals that would break into their stables.

She knew how to fight and stand up for herself because she was the only daughter in a family of all boys, six to be exact. So, it was fair to say that she had all the skills and requirements that Shinra often looked for in a star-class employee.

She was smart, strong, talented, and best of all, deceptive. Her small frame and delicate voice often got her places no one else could ever get, and naturally, it was because no one ever expected a dangerous and attentive Cuahl to be patiently waiting underneath that playful kitten's appearance.

It all seemed harmless enough and one could probably wonder why she chose to lie about it.

Well, the truth was, Shinra seldom hired from the outside. The only real exceptions to those rules were Soldier and the MP department, and when it came to Elena's small and delicate looking frame, she was hardly a convincing candidate for either.

So, one day when she finally decided she'd had enough of the boring farm life she came to despise, she decided she was going to research everything there was to know about the largest power known to their world.

She spent nights away from the prying eyes of both her father and her six brothers, and she would often sneak into the stables when no one was looking. Sometimes, she would even go so far as to steal her father's gun and sneak off fearlessly into the woods to read over her findings in regards to everything she wanted to know.

It was highly possible that the young woman was after adventure, and the more she read and discovered, the more intrigued she became with the secrets and mystery that seemed to be shrouded by the largest tyrannical monstrosity known to man.

She just knew she had to become a part of that world, and the moment she came across the name of the MP officer who shared the same surname as herself, and the fact that there was no known family, she knew she could make it happen.

Unknown to Elena though, Tseng always knew. It was his job to know such things. But he never cared. He had much more pressing matters to tend to than to blow the whistle on some lowly employee from the mail-room.

In fact, he was so unconcerned with the matter that he never even batted an eyelash when she climbed the corporate ladder and landed herself into an executive position within the duration of two years. After all, according to Tseng, it was highly possible that nearly everyone who worked under the roof of Shinra lied about something.

Gaia knew he did.

So it was no big deal, and if it was a big deal, he knew she'd eventually wind up hanging herself if given enough rope like everyone else did too.

However, the day she showed up after the Sector 7 incident with her promotion papers in hand, he finally reacted. He quirked his brow and smiled very faintly behind his coffee cup in an attempt to hide the fact that he was actually impressed.

But that wasn't all. There was something about the way she smiled and looked at him. There was something about her smile that always made him want to smile, and there was something about the way those large, warm-brown eyes would quickly dart their attention away whenever he looked at her.

There was also something intoxicating about that flaxen-blonde hair, and the way it always smelled like candy to him. There was something about the thought of touching it, to see if it really was as baby-fine and smooth as it looked.

But those were silly thoughts. There was no way a woman as young and beautiful as her could ever be remotely interested in a man of his age, especially not when he was to the point of almost washing out from the stress of his day-to-day life, and what would she think of him when his and Rufus' plans to kill the man who wrote her paycheques came to a solid fruition?

No, the thoughts he entertained in regards to her were nothing more than juvenile at best, and the desirable assumptions that maybe she was attracted to him were no more than a childish fantasy. What he didn't know though, was that it was her attraction to him that brought her to the Turks in the first place, and what she didn't know about him, was that it was his attraction to her that made him doctor all of her records in order to ensure that she never got caught.

Of course, there were other secrets in the building too. Most of them were small. Like the fact that Reeve Tuesti was once dared to kiss another man during a graduation party. Well, due to the fact that it was at a party, it wasn't really much of a secret, but the fact that he got a thrill out of it was.

The fact that Reeve always had a soft spot for redheaded prostitutes and often found himself waking up with more than one of them at a time was also a secret that he kept from his peers. Of course, he was much younger then and he'd managed to settle down quite a bit as he matured.

But he was still known to pay homage to his lady friends on the streets from time to time. He just wasn't as drunk, and rarely did he make the mistake of waking up with read-headed men that he mistook as women the night before anymore.

Most of what Reeve did was kept secret more from his father than anyone else. He knew he would have been locked up for good if his father ever suspected how much of a drunken wild-cat he was in his younger days, and as far as he was concerned it was best to avoid the embarrassment.

Other small secrets were was the fact that Jared Lanword once wore his girlfriend's underwear for the duration of a full day under her request and discovered that he liked it. It made him feel sexy. However, he never did it again though, or at least that's what he figured he'd say if he was ever asked about it, and quite naturally, he hoped she was the only one that knew.

Well, her and everyone else that she told... But that was beside the point. The relationship never lasted anyway.

On the other hand, others had less dirtysecrets and one's that weren't so devious in nature like those of underhanded lying to get where you wanted to go. Nor did they wake up in strange places with strange people and then entertain the idea of what exactly happened the night before simply for the sake of the excitement... and not everyone wore women's underpants.

Rudyard Finch, for example, whose alias was well-known as Rude might not have been all pudding and pie, and he did, after all get drunk and shoot his own foot after a drug raid when he was an MP grunt.

He thought the safety was on when he placed it back in his holster, and luckily for Rude, no one was around to witness it so he was able to blame it on the cross-fire from the raid earlier that day.

It was easy enough since no one else was paying attention. Not to mention stranger things had been known to happen. Of course, Unlike Elena, Rude never lied to get his way into Shinra. He was given honours due to the fact that two of his brothers were Grunts in the Soldier unit, and he'd proven himself with his size, strength, skill, and highly observant nature.

Also, unlike Elena who sought adventure, Rude came to Shinra for a different reason. He thought that maybe he could help instigate change. He thought that maybe he could play a roll in making that little push towards making life in the Slums more bearable.

Of course, it was his youngest brother's fate that made him seek out those possibilities, and like all things, change is imminent. But it wasn't exactly what Rude had expected, and Rude wound up becoming witness and partner to unspeakable crimes and cover-ups that caused him to create a whole new world of secrets for himself.

He was no longer fighting crime; he was behind it. That was probably Rude's biggest secret. It was a secret that he kept well-hidden from everyone, and the biggest secret of all was that he didn't enjoy his work.

There was never anything of worth or reward in it for him.

That was, until he got to know Tifa over five years ago. It never would have happened if it wasn't for his partner in crime who always felt the man would be happier if he had a woman in his life, or as Reno often put it, "Ya need ta get laid, Man."

But Reno was no longer with them, and he was no longer there to offer his not-so-subtle pushes and ill-thought out comments. All Rude had left was Tifa, and he found he could talk to her and tell her things he could never really tell anybody else.

In fact, they'd become so close over the years that he was finding himself wanting more from the relationship they shared with each other. She had, after all, been there for him at the worst of times, more so than anyone else, really. She was there for him when they thought they lost Reno at the underground Mako reactor, and he knew he could have responded to her better if he only knew how, but she stayed with him nonetheless and never pushed.

She was also there for him five months ago when the Cryogenics lab exploded. It was the lab that the stasis pod resided in that was configured for Reno's physiology, and as cruel fate would have it, Reno was in it at the time.

And in retrospect, Rude finally figured he'd found someone he thought he'd like to spend the rest of his life with, and that person was Tifa.

He only hoped she felt the same.

Either way though, he was willing to give it his best shot; he knew Reno wouldn't have wanted it any other way. So on this particular day, he found himself in the local jewellers with both Elena and Jared as company, and they'd been there for over three hours.

In a manner of frustration, Jared wound up taking to slouching against the wall near the door, intimidating nearly everyone who walked in as he sported his black suit, and watched them through the sandy-brown spikes over his face with his hazel-green eyes.

Elena on the other hand, had taken to trying on nearly every piece of jewellery that she saw, just for kicks, and she decided to play her usual dim-witted self in order to cut a deal on a pair of expensive cuff-pins for her darling Tseng while she giggled and flirted with the man behind the counter and told him they were for her father.

Most of what they were doing was for the sake of passing time over the fact that Rude couldn't seem to find the _perfect _ring to present to a woman he felt was worth so much more than everything he was presented with.

"Would ya just pick a damn ring?" Elena complained with exasperation and rolled her eyes after purchasing a set of pearl cuffs for less than half their price. The reminder in her voice that they'd already been there too damned long made Jared shift uneasily and change his weight to the other foot while he kept his arms folded in front of him, "It's the sentiment that counts, not the piece of metal that she's only gonna lose anyway."

Not exactly one for tact at all times, she adjusted the arms of the Turk uniform she'd finally made her way back into and glared at the back of Rude's head as he stood there shaking it. He knew they were both getting agitated over his indecision, and he completely understood it too. So, in an attempt to make amends with them both, he picked up the three rings he couldn't seem to choose between and showed them to Elena, and said, "Pick one."

Feeling a little guilty all the sudden by the desperate expression on the man's face, she decided to put a little effort into helping him out and wound up paying a good deal of consideration over the type of woman Tifa was and the taste that she had. Or at the very least, the taste she thought the dark-haired woman had, given the limited amount of information she had about her.

At about the same time, Jared surprisingly came up to examine the rings as well, and then he pointed out the plainest one in the selection – it was a simple design that held an inset diamond.

At first, Elena and Rude both suspected that the younger man was only trying to rush things along. That was, until he made light of his decision and explained that he never saw Tifa wear anything fancy, even when she was formally dressed at Tseng and Elena's wedding. The woman's taste in jewellery was kept simple and plain for the most part, and the colour of that particular ring would go nicely with her skin tone.

When the response he got in return was nothing more than an unreadable and dead-on stare from Rude, and an open mouth from Elena, he shrugged his shoulders and muttered out, "But what the fuck do I know," and awkwardly tilted his head before returning back to his position by the door.

He knew he wasn't very well-liked, and after all the time he'd spent with them, he didn't really care much about it either. But it didn't change the fact that he still felt a little awkward for stating his mind on such a matter.

He made sense though.

As a matter of fact, there were a lot of things that Jared simply couldn't grasp, but when it came to women and firearms, he always paid a little more attention than he was willing to admit to. So, after what seemed like a minute of Rude and Elena just standing there and staring at one another and then back at the pile of rings, Elena shook her head and said, "Um… Yeah," as Rude nodded in response and placed the other two on the counter and informed the jeweller that he'd take, "This one."

* * *

Some secrets were a little more complicated within the walls of Shinra though. Some people kept them from themselves more so than from anyone else.

Almost five years ago, Rufus Shinra awoke from a treatment that was performed without his consent, and it left him even stronger than he was before. Not to mention that he became faster and more agile as well.

That was all right though.

He actually enjoyed having the edge over everyone else. To make matters even more acceptable for him, he awoke to discover that his lover wasn't dead like everyone initially thought. However, the redhead was put in stasis only to discover that the cure for the compulsive Turk had been in front of them all along.

It took Erryn months to realize it, even though she knew something was going on from the results of the tests she regularly ran on him and discovered that the cure was the mutated Jenova cells in Reno's body. After extensive study, she came to the conclusion that by shutting the man's system down, it allowed the cells to have free reign without interference, and it slowly began to devour the alien bacteria over time.

But like everything, there was a down-side – there always was.

The process would take years.

Rufus was willing to wait though, and the fact that Erryn warned him about the redhead having serious damage to the frontal lobe of his brain which could result in his memories not quite being up to par was just fine with the man. He'd spent his entire life chasing after the wild ruffian, and therefore, some time spent trying to help him remember the things he'd forgotten didn't seem like that much of a hindrance.

After all, he'd have him back eventually.

Despite the fact that Rufus was somewhat of a narcissist with a penchant for destroying people's hopes and dreams, he was quite surprisingly optimistic when it came to matters of his own personal concern.

What he didn't plan on though, and neither did anyone else, was that there was a short in one of the chords of the stasis pods. The result of such a neglected oversight was a spark that ignited the oxygen in the room sometime in the middle of the night. It happened almost five months ago and destroyed everything that Rufus had ever hoped for, along with two adjoining labs.

However, the DNA tests on Reno's remains were odd, even though much of what was there was proof that the remains were indeed Reno's, there were inconsistencies which led Rufus to put a hold on any finality until he had absolute proof that the body in the lab was indeed that which they were led to believe.

Maybe he was in denial. But he was right the last time though – he was sure of it. He could just sense it, either that or he simply wanted to believe it and hoped he could be right the second time around too.

Contradictory to the man's desires though, he'd convinced himself that he no longer cared, and in a way, he held Reno responsible for every weakness he discovered within himself. That was fine though, at least he knew they existed and could work on ways to defeat them, and with Reno out of the way, there was no one there to constantly expose them and take advantage of them.

He could go back to doing business the way he always intended to… even if he was alone.

However, it was best not to think about such things, after all, even if it turned out that Reno was indeed still alive by some unknown and unpredictable miracle, who was to say that something else wouldn't come along to take the redhead away from him again.

There was a pattern, Rufus had discovered it, and he honestly didn't think he was capable of being put through much more, even though he stood there at his office window, overlooking the angry people he'd just raised the taxes on again, and convinced himself that none of it bothered him.

But if that were true, why was he smoking as he stood there, practically turning into his father, and drinking scotch?

A little-known fact was that Rufus actually hated scotch, it reminded him of his father, so did the smell of tobacco.

So why was he indulging in both? Was this some way for him to torture himself? As if that wasn't bad enough, he was smoking the same brand that the redhead always smoked and savouring each heavy drag that he took, along with the light-headed swoon that accompanied the near-overdose of nicotine as he looked out the window with darkened eyes and a bitter smirk.

Perhaps he just wanted to hurt everyone, make them all feel the way he felt, hopeless and empty. But if that were true, why was he anonymously donating outrageous amounts of Gil to the orphanages and ensuring that the orphans were all taken care of and kept safe?

Rufus never cared about children. In fact, he hated them, and he often walked by Tseng and Elena's daughter with a sneer on his face while silently getting off on the fact that the little girl was scared of him.

This of course, rewarded him with a whole new sense of animosity stemming from Tseng. But that was okay, because he liked it. He liked riling people and setting them on edge to the point of explosion, only no one ever truly satisfied him with their outbursts. At least not like…

Never mind, that was a place he didn't really want to keep revisiting.

All it was doing was torturing him, and surely there were better things he could be doing with his time.

It wasn't like he really cared anymore, even though he managed to leave that _Turk's_ jacket on the sofa for over five years while it drove him mad every single time he walked into the apartment.

Why the hell couldn't that maniac ever just hang the damn thing up? It wasn't like he would have been going out of his way to do it. The coat rack was _right there!_ _Beside the damn door!_ But then again, why in the hell didn't Rufus do it? One would think that five years was plenty of time to remove something that was driving him that insane.

The truth was that he simply couldn't do it though. He couldn't even touch it, and when the maid went to put it away, he nearly shot her over it, telling her to mind her own damn business, and then he fired her and hired a new one.

But it didn't stop him from telling his new maid that there were certain things she just wasn't allowed to touch, and he really didn't seem to care about the odd way she regarded him over the matter either.

After all, it wasn't just the jacket that had been sitting there and collecting dust over the years. It was everything that Reno left haphazardly around the apartment, right down to an empty beer can on the coffee table and the mess that he left in the bathroom when he went digging through the cabinets to find Rufus' medication before the reactor incident. In fact, there were even rotten leftovers in the fridge that stopped Rufus from opening the fridge altogether because it outright stunk.

As far as he was concerned, that damned Reno was going to be the one to clean it all up.

About the only thing he ever did move of the contemptuous sociopath's belongings was the earring left on his desk. He kept it in the breast pocket of his shirt, and there'd been several occasions where he thought he'd lost it and went ballistic on whoever was nearby, only to remember that he'd changed his clothes that day and probably left it in the other shirt's pocket.

He'd never admit to it though. Instead, he'd suddenly calm down and say, "You're dismissed," leaving whoever he'd gone haywire on to stand there in a stunned state of confusion over what the hell just happened.

All of this could have been the reason that Rufus rarely entered his apartment anymore. He even took to sleeping in his office when exhaustion overtook him to the point to where he simply couldn't keep his eyes open. Often, he'd find himself slumped over his desk with a bottle of scotch or some other kind of cheap alcohol still in his hand.

That was fine though; he'd simply get up, walk into his private bathroom and clean himself up. Then he'd make a short trip to his apartment to grab a clean set of clothes. Since then, his attire had changed somewhat. His appearance was often dishevelled and he wore a black scarf around his neck to cover up the scars that Aldrich left him with.

The scarf was stylishly plain and within the common taste that the man had, and he still had the strange habit of constantly straightening out his clothes, even though they were often wrinkled from him sleeping in them.

According to some people in the building, President Shinra had simply lost it. But no one would dare say it out loud for fear of the consequences and the fact that they all knew he was even less forgiving than he was before. That was fine with the man though. He didn't really care what others thought of him, and he didn't even care if they knew the reason… not that there was one.

In his eyes, there was simply nothing odd about his behaviour.

There wasn't really anything odd about Rufus behaving in a strange and unpredictable nature. Nor was there really anything odd about him threatening people. Those were things he'd always done, even to Reno. After all, the basis of one's natural personality rarely ever changed; it was the things they did that changed.

For instance, Rufus actually went out of his way to secretly learn how to cook. Though, he had no idea why he did that; he certainly didn't need to learn. He could have easily hired anyone to do it – that's what he always did in the past. But, would he ever be able to find someone that cooked the way Reno did?

Maybe it was silly to think such thoughts, but they seemed important to him. After all, who would have known that Rufus liked a small sprinkling of herbs on his eggs? He never recalled having to tell Reno that. Reno simply knew. And who else would have known that he liked his vegetables on the crisp side and barely cooked, and his meats on the tender side with all the fat trimmed?

Having to train someone all over just wouldn't do, and Rufus was really in no mood to have to do that. That was the main reason he took it upon himself to learn on his own. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

But some things never changed, and Rufus still made the shittiest pot of coffee known to man.

That was fine though, he'd still drink it anyway. He discovered there wasn't much a small splash of whiskey or rye, or whatever else he could get his hands on couldn't fix. Yes, according to Rufus, he'd gotten over Reno, even if it was just the alcohol talking, or even more unspeakably, denial.

"_You're 'nothing', Rufus… Do you 'honestly' think 'you' could ever wind up with that 'redhead'?"_

His father was probably right about everything.

* * *

As the evening progressed, Elena collected her daughter from the care of Tifa before Rude took her out and rehearsed his proposal in his head. When she made it home, she put the little monster to bed with a kiss and an encouragement for sweet dreams. Then, she stroked the rich, black locks from her daughters rosy cheeks and knelt there with a motherly admiration before she sighed and got up to grab herself a drink.

That was pretty much her routine on a good day. She'd put her daughter to bed, pour herself a glass of white wine, and unwind before her husband returned home from another stressful day of training the new Turks.

Or at least that's what she thought the routine was while she was pouring her drink into a tall and slender glass.

But like most things, routines are really nothing more than rules that are made to be broken, and she discovered that at that moment, she was scared out of her wits and dropped her glass on the floor where it shattered into several pieces and splashed onto her feet after someone grabbed her roughly from behind and restrained her.

Naturally, her first reaction was to struggle and attempt to defend herself. That was, before she heard the amused and familiar chuckle from behind her and she suddenly realised that Tseng had come home early and thought it would be amusing to sneak up on her.

"You asshole!" she shouted, and then she turned to see the man wearing nothing but a towel in which she suddenly became more interested in than berating him for nearly giving her a heart-attack.

Apparently, he came home early and took it upon himself to wash the day away before she came home. She never noticed because the moment he heard the front door open and close, he got the sudden and frisky need to quietly stalk her while waiting to see how long it would take her to notice he was there.

However, Tseng stalking someone and expecting to be caught was amusing in its own right. The man knew he was good at what he did. But it never stopped him from entertaining his more playful side that he often hid from outsiders, and he stood there, smiling at her while she hid her interest in his masculinity and glared back at him.

"That's not a very nice thing to say," he smoothly commented, and moved closer to place his hands on her hips, "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Not when you're scaring the shit out of me," she replied. Then she placed the palms of her hands against his chest to hold that devilish look at bay.

Still smiling, and not offended in the least because it was all part of the game that he enjoyed playing with his little Cuahl of a wife, he completely ignored her and pulled her by the hips towards him, "A Turk shouldn't be so easily frightened."

"Whatever," she commented with a roll to her eyes, and eased up on the resistance, "You made me break my glass."

"Hm. Perhaps we should clean that up before one of us steps on it."

With a thoughtful look, he quickly pecked her on the lips and then moved away to help her clean it up.

During that time, they shared their usual form of conversation after he did what he always did and asked about his daughter before getting on with the more mediocre discussion of how the day went. With a small complaint here, and a bit of gossip there, and the odd joke thrown in, they both stood in the kitchen and simply enjoyed each other's company.

All the while, they hid the thoughts of what they'd like to do with one another while they stole glances when they thought the other wasn't looking. Once again, the walls were the only witness to the secrets that everyone kept within them, even if they were harmless. But for how much longer the ravishing thoughts between a married couple would remain secret was only a question of time.

Whether or not Tseng and Elena were aware of it, the walls had noticed them moving subtly closer to one another as they spoke and made the odd sarcastic jab towards one another.

However, it didn't exactly take them too long to notice it themselves, and Tseng had moved to slowly unzip the jacket she'd failed to remove when she first entered the apartment while he refused to let go of the towel around his waist that she kept trying to take off. Then he started undoing the buttons on her shirt while their mouths remained locked.

The man loved to tease, and the fact that it often fired her up, made him love it even more. In fact, he was willing to bet he could drive her mad enough to attack him if he held out long enough, and found himself looking forward to it.

But this is Shinra, and as far as plans went, the walls held no prejudice, and they often held no warning either. And this day, they decided the best victims would be the one's who were least expecting it…

Tseng and Elena.

Perhaps it wasn't fair. But then again, nothing ever was, and it was only a matter of time until they fell prey to the next attack.

It all happened so fast.

First, there was a loud noise. Then there was a scream that was unmistakable in its source, and then there was silence, a dead silence that could run the blood cold in any loving parent once the shock subsided.

The only problem was that there was nothing left for them to discern what the hell had just happened, and the only thing that was certain was that Allysia was no longer there.

* * *

Revised: August 18, 2010


	3. Misgivings

**Misgivings**

* * *

_"Haldric! You dumb shit!"_

_It came at him like a predator. He had no idea what it was, but it encased him in some kind of amber-coloured prison that he couldn't escape from. But it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, shattered like glass as a white, blinding light surrounded him and made everything disappear. It was strange, the amber seemed like a threat but it appeared to protect him._

_That was, before everything crumbled on top of him and then everything suddenly changed._

_A sound like the rotor from a chopper broke up the sounds of everything, persistently as another spoke to him, only he didn't know who the other was. The hair was a wavy red, down to his shoulders, and the man wore a patch over his left eye that concealed a deep diagonal scar… he told him he did that to him…_

_He told him he wanted him to remember…_

_But the other's appearance suddenly changed, and he was no longer looking at the man, but a version of himself, only he was different somehow. His hair was spiked and pulled back into a tail, and his eyes were blue. After his image adjusted the black and dishevelled suit he was wearing, he placed his left hand in his pocket and swung some kind of baton in his right before tapping it on his shoulder. Then the image turned to him with narrowed eyes and a predatory grin._

_"'E's right, ya know," the image said to him, with that same broken sound that everything else had, and then he chuckled cruelly. "Ya took that knife an fucked 'im up right after 'e tried ta 'elp ya." Then the image disappeared, and all he heard was a loud whisper that sounded like it was coming from inside of his head, "Yer actions fucked ya both up."_

_"That's what you always do," came the voice of the redhead with the patch over his eye as he suddenly appeared somewhere behind him. Then he grabbed him and pushed him to his knees in the greenish, glowing water they'd been standing in all that time, "You fuck 'everything' up!"_

_At that point, there was another person that appeared, and a terror washed over him as the man walked up to him and looked down at both him and the other redhead before adjusting his black-rimmed glasses._

_"Oh dear, I do believe I've made a mistake," the man crooned, and tapped his pen with his left hand onto the clipboard in front of him, "This is certainly not the result I was after."_

_'Ungh… Gaia… wake up… wake up…'_

_All of the sudden, his head was forced under the water by the redhead with the patch over his eye, causing him to struggle in a futile panic while the slick-haired man took notes on his clipboard in regards to his observations._

_"Don't let 'em push ya 'round, Reno," came the voice in his head again, while he fought for breath with no success, "They're both dead, ya know."_

_After the last set of words echoed relentlessly through his head, he was suddenly shocked into an environment full of flames, while still being roughly restrained from behind by the other redhead. _

_"They're jus playin wit' ya…" _

_Then out of nowhere, the blue-eyed redhead appeared again and started crawling along his legs like a predator until the image's face was in front of his own. "Fuckin wit' yer 'ead…" the image added, while mercilessly tapping on his temple before narrowing those malicious blue eyes and peering deeply into his soul, "All of 'em."_

_He wanted to shout at them to let him go, to leave him alone, but no sound would come from him. At least, no sound would come from him until he realized he was suddenly covered in flames and was able to let out a small gasp before being immersed in the water again by the redhead with the patch over his eye. _

_"I'm never letting you forget, Reno!" the man yelled, while the other redhead watched and started chuckling again, "I'm never letting you have the mercy of not remembering, 'ever' again!" _

_All the while, the man in the lab-coat took notes and muttered out the words, "Interesting," as the blue-eyed redhead menacingly brought the tip of that strange baton close to his face and sparks threateningly flew out of it._

_"'Ow, 'bout we shock ya back inta 'memberin." _

_Then there was the white light again, and the amber shards flying from some sort of impact before he saw the world crumbing in on top of him, and he was suddenly able to scream._

* * *

"RUFUS!" screamed the redhead, as his arms and legs flew out to secure himself, only the words of comfort were forgotten no sooner than they left his mouth.

Then just as quickly, he sat up and draped his legs over the side of the bed while running his hands through the front of his hair that fell in loose waves to a length below his shoulder blades. With his eyes closed for a moment, he tried to recall what he said and shake off the images and words from his dream, but he was finding it more disturbing than the others.

Parts of it almost seemed real to him. Though which parts, he was uncertain of. He knew he had no memory of his past, and he knew he'd done some questionable things. But as far as he knew, everything he was told was the truth, which led him to wonder why the antagonists in his dream were calling him 'Reno', since his name was Renault. He was shown the papers and the proof, and he even remembered a good majority of it on his own, so why did he keep having those dreams?

Of course, there were still holes in what he remembered, and there were still a lot of things that didn't quite make sense to him.

For instance, he remembered working for the Wutian in which he still worked for, and he remembered always working behind the scenes at attempting to help bring Shinra down.

However, something didn't quite feel right about it. He vaguely remembered being brought up in an orphanage and being the son of a woman who had a Mako addiction, and he vaguely recalled the man in whom he worked along-side with, only his name didn't seem right for some reason. Why that was, though, he couldn't quite figure out.

He also couldn't figure out why he kept dreaming about the three men he kept dreaming about, and why each time he dreamt about them, he would wake up shouting out a word he could never recall afterwards, yet it made him feel safe.

He figured the dreams must have stemmed from suppressed memories. That much, he was almost sure of. But he wasn't sure why it started ever since the blonde he worked with tossed a set of pictures onto his lap. They were of another redhead he called Aldrich, who looked much like the _Haldric _in his dreams, and since then, the people in his dreams started calling him Reno.

To make things even more confusing, the blonde made it perfectly clear that it was best if what he was presented with was kept only between the two of them. For some reason, he felt it was necessary to hide certain things from their boss. "For the sake of progress," he said, "Not everyone is on your side."

But his boss was trying to help him…

Wasn't he?

What the blonde said wasn't exactly comforting, even more so when he considered the source. For the last four months since he was revived from some sort of treatment in a stasis pod, the tall blonde acted like the redhead was nothing more than a disease to him, someone that was in the way. Yet over a week ago, he suddenly acted like they were the best of friends.

He suddenly started confiding in small things to him, showed him pictures of people he was told he once knew, and even helped him break into a room he claimed belonged to this _Aldrich _person to show him things he thought might help him remember. To make things even more confusing, or more suspicious, the blonde made it absolutely clear that their boss never know of the things he was showing him.

He never said why though. Instead, he only stood back and watched with a strange interest as the redhead rummaged through the belongings and started to feel sick. Then he followed with a mild curiosity when Renault ran to his own room to throw up, and the other man knelt beside him, stroking his hair out of the way.

He made it a point to let the redhead know that not everything in his past was desirable, but they were what made him who he was, and that it was best if he remembered. Only, Renault couldn't seem to remember, and he had no idea why he reacted the way that he did.

The blonde seemed to know though, and what Renault never saw during the whole time he was being offered a false sense of comfort, was the strange smile and shadowed eyes that practically seemed to devour him from behind.

In fact, that was exactly how the blonde was looking at him at that very moment, only the redhead never noticed. He was too busy rubbing at his eyes and trying to shake off the disturbing images from the dream he just had. He was so wrapped up in his own inner turmoil that he didn't even notice the younger man sitting in the dark corner of his room until he was startled by the man lighting his cigarette and adjusting the crotch of his pants, "Bad dream?"

"What the fuck'r ya doin in my room?"

Ignoring the unwelcome intrusion and not caring about the absence of an answer, the redhead got up from his bed with an irritated shake to his head and walked into the small bathroom to splash some cool water onto his face as the blonde got up to follow him and stood at the doorway, "Ya gonna watch me piss too?"

"I have no desire to watch that."

With a snort, the redhead shook the water off his hands and then muttered out, "Fuck off then."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

After taking a casual drag from his cigarette, he moved to stand nearly behind the redhead and scratched at his chest through the loose opening in his black shirt, causing the redhead to dart his eyes away, "We've been ordered to move out."

"Hm."

With another snort, the redhead decided that the blonde was in one of his antagonizing moods and figured he might as well just take a piss with him standing there, "Where we goin?"

"Some abandoned Mako reactor around Mt. Corel to pick up some weapons. Then to Wutai to pick up some more supplies," the blonde responded in a bored manner, studying his fingernails as he spoke.

"So… what… We goin in the middle of the night?"

With an irritated edge, the redhead fixed his boxers and flushed the toilet before returning to the sink to wash his hands and comb his hair out with his fingers. All the while, he wished that the blonde would just get the fuck out of his way.

"Orders are orders."

"This is fuckin ridiculous."

With a shrug to his shoulder, the blonde smirked and returned to standing in the frame of the door while setting his eyes on the photos the redhead had on his nightstand. Then he suddenly narrowed his eyes in resentment and sneered, "I thought I told you to keep those out of sight."

"I thought I told ya ta stay the fuck outta my room," the redhead retorted, and then he attempted to walk out of the bathroom to only wind up having his head smacked into the doorframe by an unexpected push.

Not exactly being the type to like being pushed around, despite the fact that he didn't seem to be as strong as the one taunting him, he retaliated by shoving the blonde farther into the frame of the door while glaring at him with fiery green eyes. But the reaction seemed to have no effect on the blonde.

"I came in here under _orders_," the blonde replied, and then he moved out of the way to grab the pictures off the stand and stuff them in the pocket of his shirt, "A _completely _harmless act." Then he turned to the redhead who was already disgracefully rummaging through the mess atop his dresser so he could find something to wear, "_Those _pictures on the other hand, _Renault_, could get us _both_ killed."

"I ain't afraid'a that quack."

"You should be."

"Really?" the redhead asked, and pulled out a cigarette after finding them amongst his mess. Then he came to stand face to face with the blonde. Even though he had to look slightly upward and hardly seemed intimidating with those narrowed eyes of his, he still made it quite clear that he wasn't someone to be messed with. After all, size didn't always depict one's ability, "How do I know it ain't _you _I gotta watch out for?"

The fact that there was no answer didn't really surprise the redhead, and the fact that all the blonde did as a reply was coldly stare at him with those piercing eyes didn't faze him either. It was something he was getting used to from his companion of bitter moods, and he paid it no mind. In fact, it didn't bother him one bit as he proceeded to ignore him once again and started dressing in front of him while muttering out an attempt to needle under the skin, "Guess it's a good thing we're goin to an abandoned reactor."

"Why's that?"

"Ya can stock up," he tauntingly replied, and stumbled a bit as his foot got caught in his pants. When he looked up after steadying himself, he noticed the look on the blonde's face and indulged a little further with his eyes widened in a 'don't look so stupid' manner, "Ya know… so ya can keep up with yer habit… shoot up."

"Hm."

With an unaffected sigh, the blonde cocked his brow and brushed his bang out of his face before commenting, "And you would know so much about that… Wouldn't you?"

"See ya do it all the time…" he replied with a shrug, and sat on the edge of the bed to get his shoes on, "So, yeah… Guess I would."

"Fucking little pr –"

"We ready?"

Cutting the blonde off and smiling cheekily at him like they were having a pleasant and friendly conversation, the redhead jumped to his feet and grabbed a duffle bag that was already packed. Since they were sent out quite often, he always kept it aside and ready, mostly because they were rarely given much notice and he seemed to be living more out of the bag than anything else. He didn't mind though, to his recollection, it was what he always did.

"Yes."

"Let's go then," he carelessly said, and walked out of his room to go and fire up the chopper while leaving the blonde behind. That was fine with the blonde though, since it didn't bother him one bit and he quite liked not having to be around the redhead so much.

However, it didn't change the fact that he still couldn't stand the attitude in which the redhead left in.

So with a nod, the blonde walked over to grab his own duffle bag and a case full of Gil that he had by the chair he was sitting in earlier and muttered to himself and the empty room, "I'll be there shortly, _Reno_."

Then he knelt down by the bag and pulled the photos out of his pocket to regard them for a moment. Most of them were pictures of Aldrich, but some of them had Adrienne in them too, and with a slightly bitter smirk over the loss, he snorted lightly and put them in his bag before getting up to join the redhead outside.

_"Nothing in life is fair, Kid. Get used to it."_

_Aldrich was right…_ The blonde thought to himself. In fact, he was right about a lot of things.

* * *

Tifa looked particularly stunning that evening. Her striking black hair was pulled back slightly with tiny pearl clasps, and she wore a very basic, yet flattering black dress that took no attention away from her natural beauty whatsoever. In fact, it only seemed to emphasise it more, and Rude found himself fidgeting nervously with the fork in his hand.

No one really noticed though, because Rude's method of fidgeting was simply inspecting the fork for imperfections or water spots, maybe even a small piece of food that was mistakenly missed by the dishwashers.

Maybe he didn't really need to be stressing himself out so much over the matter, but everything needed to be exceptionally perfect for that colossal evening. No mistakes could be made whatsoever, and it probably would have been a perfect evening if he wasn't so damn nervous, which in turn, was catching the attention of the very beautiful woman who sat across from him.

In a manner of concern, Tifa leaned forward in confidence and ran her rich-brown eyes over Rude while empathetically asking, "Is everything okay?"

"Mm?"

Almost to a point of fainting, Rude ran his hand over his cleanly shaven head and wondered why in the hell the heat was so damned high. Didn't the people running the restaurant know how uncomfortable it was when it was that hot? How in the hell could they expect anyone to enjoy themselves? Maybe he took her to the wrong restaurant. Maybe he should have taken her somewhere more 'low-key'.

"You seem… preoccupied…" she started, bringing his attention back to her while she grabbed his hand that was still holding the fork, mostly in hopes of getting him to let go of it. In all honesty, it was really starting to concern her. So she asked him again while moving more forward and letting the concern shine through in her eyes, "Is everything all right?"

After clearing his throat a little to get the fog out of it, he wondered if he was getting a cold. Then he stuck his finger in his collar to pull it away from his neck and loosen it up a bit. He couldn't seem to figure out why he did it up so tight. But then again, it didn't seem to be bothering him earlier for some weird reason.

"Don't you find it hot in here?" he asked, while trying to loosen his tie.

With a shrug, she raised her eyebrow and tilted her head a bit before looking to the side in thought, "No, it's quite nice, actually…" Then she turned her attention back to him and noticed a slight bead of sweat running down his temple and started to get worried. "Maybe we should go outside for some air," she said, and started to get up while still holding his hand. But he pulled her back down and told her he was fine before telling her not to worry about him.

"Tifa…"

"Yes?"

"I…" _Shit, _he thought to himself after fumbling around in the wrong pocket for the ring. As a knee-jerk reaction, he pulled his hand away from her to fumble around in his other pocket and wrapped his large hand around the small case that he wanted to give to her.

He was about to pull it out when his PHS threw him off guard and he wound up letting go of it to pull out the phone so he could check the number instead, hoping it was nothing or no one important. Unfortunately, it was the emergency number that Shinra used for… emergencies.

"Fuck," he muttered out, unable to contain himself, _Of all the damn times._ "I'm sorry, Baby," he apologised, and opened the phone, "But I've gotta take this."

With a slightly disappointed nod, she sat back to chew on her cheek and folded her arms in front of her. She knew it was his job, but she still found it frustrating and often wondered why she kept wasting her time with him. After all, it had been five years, and they really didn't seem to be going anywhere.

As a matter of fact, she was beginning to wonder if he really cared about her at all, and was beginning to entertain the idea of setting him loose. However, it wasn't really something she wanted to do. But she thought that maybe it was what he wanted.

Actually, she really didn't know what he wanted. Sure, the man confided in many things with her, and he even told her he loved her the year before. But as she was sitting there and thinking about it, she remembered that she was the one who said it first. Maybe he only said it because she said it. Maybe he didn't want to hurt her feelings; maybe she'd made a mistake.

As a reminder to herself, she suddenly started thinking of how she spent a good deal of her life chasing after Cloud, who also never told her to back off, only to find out that he was never interested in her. Even more surprising to her, the man turned out to be gay, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he was in love with someone that tried to kill them both on several occasions.

Maybe she was just really bad at judging people. Or maybe she was just too busy thinking she could save the world and focusing on it as a whole that she never really gave enough consideration to the people closest to her.

Was it possible she was pushing her desires onto others and they only went along because they didn't know what else to do? Maybe they didn't want to hurt her feelings. And why the hell did she never notice Cloud was attracted to Reno? How the hell did she miss that? Gaia. Was there something she was missing with Rude?

_Fucking Phoenix!_ The man hated her. She just knew it. She was pushing him… Just like she did with Cloud. Why the hell else was he so nervous?

Oh, she knew why he was so nervous…

He was going to break up with her!

"Shit!" Pulling her out of her, self-destructive frame of mind, Rude finished his conversation that seemed to be of some dire importance and looked at Tifa with those soft, deep-brown eyes of his with severe regret and a silent apology. Then, before he said anything, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to pull out his shades, "I've gotta go."

"Shinra?"

"Yeah, Babe," he answered, and placed a generous amount of Gil on the table for the dinner, "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

Not really meaning it one-hundred percent, she figured she'd say it anyway. After all, that's what pretty much made her the doormat she'd come to believe she was, so she figured she might as well keep up with the good record for performance's sake if not for anything else.

"No," he said with his deep baritone voice, and with a dead seriousness, he placed the palm of his hand against her cheek and lightly stroked it with his thumb. He could tell she was upset over the matter, and he felt helpless about not being able to do anything about it.

But he didn't really know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of; he bent over to peck her on the lips and said, "It's not."

After which, he toyed a little with the pearl clasp in her hair and apologised again before placing his shades on in order to do business, "I'd like us to try this again…" In hopes that she'd respond and say yes, he carefully added, "Can we?"

_Try what again?_

Trying not to let her panic-stricken thoughts show, she muttered, "Yeah," with a slight shrug, and made her best attempt to read into his body language and pretend that she was unaffected.

She knew there was no competing with his work and that it would always come first. She also knew that it was something he'd never be able to discuss with her, even though she wanted to know everything there was to know about the man.

That was all fine though, as long as that was all it was and not some elaborate attempt to brush her off, she could live with that. She figured she'd do her best to look on the bright side, despite the fact that disappointments seemed to be something of a constant in her life.

* * *

After a quick call from the blonde assigned to keep Renault in check, the Stalky-built Wutian hung up his PHS and smiled at his partner. The man was a slender, dark man from the village of Mideel. He had dark brown eyes and black curly hair, and he'd been working closely with the Wutian for as long as either of them could remember.

"He's taking Renault to pick up some weapons and Materia," he said to the man, and poured some sake into his own glass, "And I told him to take that nut to Gold Saucer for a break as well, to keep him occupied for as long as possible."

"Do you think he suspects anything?"

"Renault?"

With a snort, the Wutian took a drink while thinking about the redhead and then continued after he swallowed, "Renault always suspects something. But there's no way he's going to figure out why he was sent away."

"Sometimes, I think it would have been less trouble to keep the clone."

"No."

With a shake to his head, he tapped his ring on his desk and looked out the window facing the outskirts of Kalm, "We made that clone for one reason and one reason only. He was too incomplete and too rushed to be a good substitute for the real thing."

"Regardless…" the dark man said, and grabbed his coat to adjust it before sitting in the seat opposite to the Wutian, "I can't help but think Shinra suspects something." With his brows raised, he pointed his finger at the Wutian to emphasise the reminder sitting in the back of his mind for some time, "You know they still haven't held a funeral for the loss."

Chuckling a little on the sarcastic side, the Wutian took another drink from his glass and sat there for a moment before responding.

"That's because they're all humouring Rufus. As far as they're all concerned, their precious President has lost his mind." Then he sat forward with a wicked smile and a glint in his eyes as he tapped on his glass with the ring around his baby finger and slyly narrowed his eyes.

"Which is actually working out more to our advantage than I ever would have imagined… With Rufus going nuts, we'll be able to complete our transition more smoothly than even _I _would have anticipated, and with Tseng's recent tragedy, we'll have his top Turk too occupied to even suspect something is going on."

"Speaking of which… the girl is scheduled to arrive within the hour."

"Excellent. Is the room ready for her?"

"Yes," answered the dark man, with an assured nod, "I'm curious though, why go through all the trouble to have Renault out of the way?" With his brows subtly raised in question, he leaned forward and pulled an empty glass toward himself to pour some sake into it, "He's never seen the girl… except for when she was a baby."

"I just want to make sure she isn't going to stir any unwanted memories in our newest addition to the family. I've put a lot of work into Renault to ensure he knows where his place is, and I'd hate to see it all go to Hades over one little mistake." Sitting back into his chair with his glass in his hand, he mused over the fact that the little girl looked a lot like her mother, but with her father's colouring, and that the resemblance might trigger unwanted memories in their newest little project.

"Yes, but are you sure you can trust your little pet to be _alone_ with the Turk?" the dark man asked before reminding him, "He's not exactly happy about having to baby-sit someone who's responsible for the death of Aldrich."

With a snort, the Wutian tapped his ring on his desk again and grabbed his glass, bringing it only halfway towards his mouth before pausing, "He knows his place, and I know that as long as we keep that madman drugged with Erryn's concoction to keep the Mako at bay that he'll be more than compliant… I've already told him he's getting his revenge by turning that psycho against everything that matters to him… He'll be fine."

"I hope you're right," replied the dark man, and then he took a sip from his glass while scrunching his face at the acquired taste, "But I feel the need to remind you that regardless of the fact that you've gone out of your way to bring that kid up as your own, that little menace still has much of his own family's qualities in him.

"He's just as devious and untrustworthy as his brother and father put together, and regardless of how compliant you've made Renault, he still doesn't trust him as far as anyone can throw him, and I don't doubt for a second that he'd jump at the opportunity to kill that Turk if given the chance."

"Yes. The fact that he keeps feeling it necessary to tell me Renault can't be trusted makes me have to agree with you."

"So… Why are we keeping the Turk then?"

* * *

The conference room at the Shinra tower was full of tired eyes and confusion. No one really knew why they were called in at such a late hour, and the fact that Rufus had gone through more than half a pack of cigarettes and hadn't said a word in the duration it took for everyone to arrive didn't really help matters much either.

The slight edge of agitation plaguing the individuals present filled the room with a stale and resentful air, not to mention that Rufus' cigarettes weren't exactly helping matters much either. As a result, Jared took to opening a window and standing by it in an attempt to try and breathe while the newer Turks were too afraid to overstep their bounds by joining him.

Within almost forty minutes, Tseng and Elena finally arrived with the surveillance videos and a solemn look on their faces. Then not even five minutes after that, Rude finally made his appearance with a look of apology as he meekly closed the door quietly behind him. He'd arrived over twenty minutes ago, but from the information he gathered on his PHS in the restaurant, and the additional info he received when he called them back from his car, he decided to help out by aiding Tseng and Elena when he entered the building.

However, Rufus still didn't say a word when everyone was finally present. Instead, he just stared at the surface of the table while holding his idle cigarette and contemplated whether or not he wanted to continue smoking it.

It wasn't until Tseng cleared his throat and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder as a reminder that the President finally snapped out of whatever place he was in, and he turned his attention to address the people in the room.

"Right," he muttered, and tossed his cigarette onto the table without putting it out, causing Rude to move quickly and place it in the ashtray. Then he got up and straightened out his wrinkled coat while trying to figure out how he was going to start such a sensitive subject with two very affected people standing that closely to him.

With a subtle shake to his head, he set his sight on Tseng for a brief moment in order to assess the man, and then he turned his attention back to the others sitting at the table before apologising for the long wait.

"I suppose you're all wondering why you've been called in," he started, and then he continued with an explanation, informing them all that they'd somehow been breeched again, "We still have no idea how they're getting in and out without detection."

After waving his hand in the air, searching for the right words in an attempt to not sound so insensitive, he reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette, ignoring the frown on the Wutian's face in regards to his disapproval. Then he sighed and cocked his brow. "Allysia…" he started, and then he looked briefly back over to Tseng in hopes that he wasn't going about things the wrong way.

Besides the fact that Rufus made shitty coffee, there was something else he'd never been very good at either, even though he was trying. Rufus was never very good at taking other people's feelings into consideration when he spoke, and he really had no idea how to discuss such a sensitive topic with the victims standing right there.

Normally, he wouldn't have really cared, but then again, normally the victim wouldn't have been Tseng, and as far as loss went, it was something Rufus was finally beginning to understand.

But that didn't change the fact that Rufus still never really learned how to be compassionate, despite the fact that he always gave it his best when it came to Reno. So he wound up blurting out, "Tseng and Elena's daughter has gone missing," as quickly and factually as he could while waving his hand in the air again.

Then he quickly brushed his hand through his hair and decided it was best to avoid the man and chose not to look at either him or Elena for the remainder of the meeting. After all, business was business, and Shinra had been breeched… Emotions could be dealt with later.

After quickly filling everyone in with nothing but factual words, he snapped his fingers and pointed at the table while he informed everyone that he wanted the surveillance videos as closely studied as possible. Of course, they did this practically every time and always came up with nothing. But it was a standard procedure.

Then he ordered Jared and two other Turks to investigate the scene of the crime for any possible evidence before ordering Rude, Tseng, and Elena to follow him into his office.

* * *

"I'd like to give my condolences," was the first thing Rufus said after he closed the door to his office. Then he walked over to his desk to pull out a half-empty bottle of scotch he had hiding in his drawer. After a large gulp straight from the bottle, he tapped his fingers on his desk before coming around to the front and leaning on it while he thoughtfully addressed Tseng, "I'm assuming you've already searched for evidence and came up with nothing."

"Yes, Sir."

"Hm."

With a light brush of his hand to get the bang out of his eyes, he went over all the information gathered in hopes that maybe it was something simple they were missing, "And you were both present when it happened."

"Yes, Sir," Elena replied, and tried to choke back on the lump in her throat, "We were both in the kitchen… One minute she was there… and then next…"

Unable to continue from the overwhelming guilt over the fact that they should have known or been able to do something, she looked out the window without any focus and bit on her bottom lip to maintain some sense of composure. Taking note of her emotional struggle, Tseng pulled her over to him to try and soothe her in his arms while Rufus paid them no mind.

"That's rather risky, wouldn't you say?" Rufus thought out loud, and then he took another drink before continuing, "There was no sign of anyone entering or leaving, and no sign of anyone breaking in, and the two of you were right there."

With a pause, Rufus adjusted his coat when he moved to sit more comfortably on the edge of his desk and looked at the floor since he always thought better when he felt like he was alone. "Rude…" he started, and then he quietly waited for an answer while taking another drink.

"Yes, Sir."

"I'd like you to search the apartment for any signs of external surveillance."

With another thoughtful pause, he tapped his fingers on the desk and continued to stare at the floor, "I'm aware we've already done this with the break-ins to the labs and all the other unexplained breeches we've had, but with your attention to detail, perhaps you will be better suited to such a search. I'm not willing to assume that we're not being watched somehow… and Tseng…"

"Sir?"

"That new Turk of yours… Eric… I understand he's quite talented when it comes to computers and such."

"He's at the top of the class, Sir."

"Very good." With a nod, he turned his attention to Tseng, "I'd like you to assign him to take a deeper look into our own surveillance system and ensure that it's not being tampered with."

"We've already gone through all these procedures, Sir," Tseng said, and rubbed Elena's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm aware of that, but there is obviously something we're overlooking." Then with a heavy sigh, he muttered out, "I can't help but feel like we're being played with… With all the professional quality and skill put into these breeches, I would have assumed that whoever was behind this would have done much more damage years ago than the petty nuisances they've caused."

"There is nothing _petty_ about _my _daughter going missing!" Elena snapped in sudden anger as she aggressively stepped out of Tseng's grasp to confront Rufus' insult.

"Elena… Please," Tseng calmly said, and grabbed her as quickly as he could to keep her at bay. Then he meagrely apologized for the reaction of his distraught wife.

"It's quite all right."

With a wave to his hand at Elena, he took another drink from the bottle and then pulled out a cigarette before moving to stand directly in front of her to stare into her fiery eyes with an empty return and apologised in the only way he knew how, "I meant no insult."

Then he lifted his eyes to Tseng with a slightly dark quality and tried to explain himself, "I was merely contemplating that after five years of petty attacks, why would they suddenly decide to take my first in command's daughter." With a cocked brow, he brought one of Reno's old lighters to his cigarette and lit it before deeply inhaling from it.

"It's rather odd, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, as he put Reno's lighter back in his pocket, "First, they start out by breaking into the science division, medical bays, and the weapons department. Then they hack into, and steal, seemingly random and useless information from our systems… and now this."

With a pause to take another drag from his cigarette, he looked back down at Elena with a slight smirk on his face, "Of course, I'd hardly call this particular _visit_ random or useless." Then he brushed her hair behind her ear and watched her flinch at his touch, "In fact, it's so haphazardly organized that I can't help but feel there is a bigger picture we're failing to see."

With a deep breath, he turned to walk over to his window and look out over the town while trying to make sense out of what was going on, "Then of course, there is the question as to how they're managing to get in and out without any traces, and with an extreme amount of accuracy at that."

"We've considered they might be using Exit Materia, Sir," Rude said, as he stood at ease with his hands clasped in front of him.

"That would certainly explain a lot."

After a subtle nod, Rufus brought the bottle back to his lips and took another large drink before letting out a light gasp, "However, that would also point the finger at the Wutians, and that hardly makes sense when their diplomats are trying to attain a peaceful relationship between us."

"That wouldn't rule out the possibility that some Wutians still see Shinra as the enemy and might want to sabotage the efforts put forth by both sides," Tseng added, and pulled Elena closer to him. Then with carefully thought out words, he added with a slight edge to his voice, "It would also make sense as to why they'd take my daughter."

"I see."

Without turning to regard them, Rufus continued to look out the window and met Tseng's eyes through the reflection while muttering, "A traitor to Wutai…"

Then he let out a futile sigh and turned to regard them all with shadowed eyes, "That's a highly plausible explanation. However, I'm not so willing to accept it as concrete evidence… Of course, I'm not willing to rule it out as a motive either, and there are _other _things to take into consideration as well."

Suspecting that there was more going through Rufus' mind than just recent events and the possibility of Wutian terrorists, Tseng felt it necessary to take Rufus away from the possibility of his detrimental thoughts, "Sir, if I may… I feel I should remind you that there is a high possibility none of this is related to Reno's de –"

Chuckling with his hand in the air to stop Tseng from saying the unspeakable, the President walked back to the front of his desk and took another drink, "I'm in no mood to discuss your thoughts on that topic. I'm well-aware that you believe I feel there is a relation in all of this, and I am also well-aware of the fact that you are trying to dissuade me from such thoughts, and quite frankly, I really don't care about your opinion on the matter."

Then he pushed himself away from the front of his desk to walk behind it while speaking, "However, I am not so willing to rule out such a possibility, regardless of how things were made to look."

"Rufus –"

"Those DNA tests had the wrong fucking strain of Jenova in them!"

Realizing he'd lost his cool when he noted the reaction on everyone's face to his outburst, he let out another sigh and took another drink before running his hand through his hair to calm himself down and muttered, "Reno never had pure Jenova in him." Then he raised his voice to address his Turks more directly.

"But that's beside the point…" he said with a wave to his hand and a shake to his head to clear it out, "Even if it was him… It still doesn't explain how a _short _went _that _unnoticed, and it doesn't explain how it all happened so _conveniently _when no one else was around.

"Of course… We're not here to discuss _that_. We're here to try and find something of more importance."

Nodding to convince himself that there was no importance whatsoever in his pointless theories behind _Reno_, he finished off what was left in the bottle and opened another drawer to pull out a fresh bottle and bitterly added, "At least we can hope_you're_ daughter is still alive."

"You self-righteous so –!"

"Elena!" Tseng snapped, and pulled her back again while Rude shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, "He didn't mean it like that."

"Of course not," Rufus mumbled while peeling the seal off the new bottle, "I meant no ill-will." Then he snickered and met with Elena's challenging eyes again as he addressed Tseng with a sudden desire to irk the woman more, "Perhaps you should keep your _overzealous _wife on a _leash_."

Anticipating things escalating to a point beyond control, Tseng quickly placed his hand over Elena's mouth to stop her from saying anything more and pulled her closer to him to hang onto her. It's not to say that he was complying with Rufus' needling remark or even considering it. He was however, not particularly fond of an all-out feud breaking out at the least of convenient times. It was also not to say that he was particularly approving of Rufus' words either, because he found them just as insulting as she did.

But he wasn't about to push things. Rufus was bad enough when he was sober, and there was no telling how far he'd go with his judgement clouded by the unnecessary amount of alcohol he'd consumed within the short time they'd been in his office. "Sir," he started, and bowed his head respectively, "I believe that Elena may be overwhelmed, and perhaps a little tired. It is rather late… May I request your dismissal?"

"Where will you go?" Rufus asked, realizing he'd overstepped all acceptable bounds, but not willing to apologize for it.

"I felt that since our apartment is under investigation, we'd check into a hotel."

"No," Rufus said with a confusing certainty, "I'll not have two of my top Turks staying in a place plagued by filth and unguarded. Not after everything that's happened." Then he tapped his fingers on the desk and quietly contemplated something for a moment before turning to face the window, "You'll stay in the spare room of my apartment."

For a moment, Tseng and Elena simply stood there and stared at their manic President in bewilderment as he uncharacteristically turned his attention back to the room and plopped himself in his chair while taking another large gulp.

Truthfully, they didn't really want to stay in his apartment. The man was an anal and neurotic mess and there was no telling what he'd do or how he'd react if they did or touched the wrong thing. But they both knew better than to argue with the man and it was extremely rare for him to show any form of hospitality. So they were left with no choice over the matter.

Noticing their reactions, Rufus sat forward and rubbed at his tired eyes before shaking his head and telling them they had nothing to worry about. Surely they knew not to touch anything, and the spare room was well-kept and clean.

The only things left of Reno's in there were all in the closet. Rufus had him trained well at tidying up after himself for the most part, minus a few nagging habits the bohemian just couldn't seem to get through that psychotic head of his.

No matter though, that was all in the past. About the only thing Rufus felt necessary to inform them of was to stay clear away from the fridge, and that was mostly out of concern for them.

In fact, Rufus was starting to wonder if he should just have the fridge taken away and replaced. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to do that just yet, and decided to put his thoughts aside and dismiss his Turks before they had a chance to try and talk him out of letting them stay there. Before he dismissed them though, he told them he'd have the restaurant on the third floor bring them some food in the morning.

After all, he hadn't completely lost it.

When he was finally alone, he let out a heavy sigh and pulled the earring out of his pocket to run his fingers over the smooth surface. Then he reached over and opened up his laptop to listen to the only voice that seemed to bring him any comfort. It was Reno's last words to him. But it wasn't just the voice Reno recorded – he'd recorded his image too.

* * *

_"I know I never said it to ya… Maybe I should'a…" Reno said, as he knelt in front of Rufus' laptop and rested his arms on the surface of the desk while shifting his eyes to the right. _

_"I dunno… But… well, anyway… Guess what I'm tryin ta say is that… Fuck…" he muttered, and scratched at the back of his neck while turning his attention sheepishly to the camera. "This is harder'n I thought… Ya kind'a meant somethin ta me, Kid… Wish I could do better'n that. Ya deserve better… better'n me…" _

_"Ya know what I'm tryin ta say… doncha?" With a pause, the redhead nervously laughed and shifted his eyes back to the side, "Anyway… Dunno what it means ta ya, but I jus wanted ta tell ya that ya were the only one. Ya always were… I jus never really realized it 'til it was too late." _

_Biting nervously on his lip, he wearily brushed his bang away from his face and smiled that sheepish smile of his when he felt he'd done something wrong, "But that's me. I'm always too late, ya know? Guess I should apologise fer being the dipshit I was ta ya half the time… most the time. _

_"Guess I should apologise fer what I'm about ta do as well. I know ya ain't gonna like it. But we both knew I was'n gonna be 'round forever… right? We knew it from the start. _

_"Anyway, promise me ya'll take care of yerself. If not fer yerself… then… fer me," he muttered, and blinked a few times to hide his emotions, "If that's worth anythin ta ya." _

_Sighing, he choked back at a lump in his throat and then turned his eyes back to the camera while removing his earring. Then he showed it to the camera and placed it down in clear view. _

_"I'm gonna leave this here fer ya," he said, while staring at it and stroking it mindlessly, lost in thought, "I know ya bought it fer me an all. But… I never deserved it. So… ya can have it back… Do what ya want with it." _

_Chuckling nervously again, he turned his attention back to the camera and continued in his attempt at trying to keep things light, "Give it ta yer next suitor as a gift from me… Heh… Sorry… Bad taste… I know." _

_Sighing again and raising his brow, he pulled out one of his cigarettes and lit it before mumbling with it hanging out of his mouth, "Ya know, they say these things'll kill ya." Then he took a heavy drag and pulled it away from his mouth while licking his lips before reaching over to disconnect the feed, muttering under his breath in a barely audible tone, "I love ya, Rufus… Don't die on me."_

* * *

"You deserved so much more than a useless earring, you stupid shit," Rufus muttered, while leaning forward after hitting the pause button so he could stroke his fingers over the image, as if trying to touch him for real. All he ever wanted was to take care of the redhead and make him feel like he was worth something.

But he failed miserably at both.

* * *

Revised: August 18, 2010


	4. The Nature of the Game

**The Nature of the Game**

* * *

"He nearly got us both killed!"

The blonde was trying his best not to raise his voice as he paced back and forth outside of the Battle Square with his PHS to his ear while talking to his Wutian boss.

"Well you sound alive and well to me; maybe you should take a tranquilizer and calm down. You're getting carried away over nothing."

"_No!_ I will _not_ calm _down,_" he hissed, and then he took a quick look around at the people nearby. They were staring at him, and he adjusted his hat to hide his face more. After which, he lit his cigarette and lowered his voice while turning to face the wall, "And I am _not _getting carried away over _nothing._"

"All right…" the Wutian soothed from the other end, and then he muttered it out again before asking the blonde to explain why he was so worked up.

"_Your_ fucking _psycho _thought he could get those _assholes_ to drop their price if they didn't have to _split_ their income in so many ways."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He _shot_ the man standing next to him, and then he fucking _asked_ them how much the Gaiadamned weapons were now that they wouldn't have to _split_ the fucking money so many Gaiadamned ways while they all fucking stood there with their fucking guns pointed at our _heads_," the blonde informed.

He was so worked up that he was shaking and taking heavy drags from his cigarette while he figured he'd start walking as far away from the redheaded menace in the Battle Square as he could get, "I told you that fucking _idiot_ couldn't be _trusted!_"

"Leviathan," the Wutian muttered under his breath, "Look… obviously everything worked out fine, because you're talking to me right now. I don't see what the problem is."

"OF COURSE I'M TALKING TO YOU RIGHT NOW!" the blonde frantically shouted while removing his hat and throwing it to the ground, and then he pushed the next person he walked by so that they almost fell over to let out his frustration. All the while, he ignored the stares he was getting, "Because he fucking _killed _every single one of them!"

"All of them?" the Wutian asked in astonishment. The men were some of his best competition that he rarely did business with because they were known to double-cross him, "Impressive…"

"_Impressive!"_

"Yes. Impressive. Now calm down and tell me how neither of you got hurt."

"I cast Barrier on myself."

"On yourself."

"_Yes,_" he hissed, as he walked into the items shop, "_Myself._"

"What about Renault?" the Wutian asked suspiciously.

"He seemed to be taking care of himself just _fine_."

After brushing his bang out of his eyes, he pointed to some items behind the shopkeeper and placed some Gil on the counter which was humbly refused. With an irritated shake to his head, he placed it back in his pocket and walked out with the items.

"You contemptuous little shit," the Wutian muttered with a vicious tone, "What colour were his fucking eyes."

"I had _bullets _rushing by my _head_, and _you_ want to know what fucking _colour_ that maniac's _eyes_ were?"

"Enough with the drama! Just tell me the fucking colour of his eyes!"

"I _wasn't_ paying _attention_ to his fucking _eyes!_"

"Gaia damn it! You know how fucking important it is that his _out of control_ limit never surfaces!" the Wutian shouted, loud enough for the blonde to pull the phone away from his ear while he sneered to himself, "Speaking of which, where the hell is he?"

"He's obliviously _drunk_ and in the Battle Square," the blonde answered snidely, and flicked his cigarette at the next person he walked by, "Apparently, being _shot_ at wasn't enough for him."

"Good," he muttered, and then he repeated the word again while trying to collect himself, "Keep him busy for as long as you can… Did you make sure he took his medication?"

"Of _course_ I made _sure_. You made it quite _clear_ I had no other_ choice_."

With an angry push to the door of the Inn, he walked straight to the counter and held up his fingers to inform the clerk that he wanted a room with two beds, and then he slapped some Gil on the counter.

"However, you _might_ find it _interesting_ to know that he didn't want me telling you about all the _money_ he saved you. He thought it would be _fun_ if we spent it on _ourselves_."

"That's fine, let him believe that."

"What?"

"I said let him believe that."

"This is fucking _ridiculous_!" the blonde snapped, and angrily grabbed the key for the room from the counter, "Anyone else would have been _dead_ for such an act."

"Look, I thought I told you to calm down."

"You _want_ me to calm _down_?" Hissing into his phone, he started creeping up the stairs and slammed a random man into the wall as he walked by him.

"Yes, you idiot," the Wutian said, and then he swallowed as if he was taking a drink of his sake, "You're right above Corel Prison."

"So?"

"So," he repeated back, and muttered something about the blonde being an ungrateful stain on society, "The _last_ thing you want to be doing is drawing _attention_ to yourself."

"Oh?" the blonde mockingly asked, as he reached the door to his room and opened it, "So, you're suddenly _concerned_ about _me_?" Then he tossed the bags he was dragging around to the foot of the first bed and knelt down to open one of them up, "Or is it just _all right _for me to get _shot_, but not put in _prison_?"

"I've had enough of this. You're obviously too worked up to talk any sense to," the Wutian said with a slight sense of exhaustion kicking in. Then he lowered his voice and threateningly asked, "Should I send someone over to replace you and bring you back?"

Knowing what would be in store for him if his boss had to go out of his way to ensure things were going as planned, the blonde sneered more out of hatred than out of fear and replied, "No," with a bitter edge.

"Good. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do that," with a more chipper tone, the Wutian decided he'd wasted enough time listening to the little devil vent about nothing, and decided he'd end the conversation with a reminder to ensure that _Renault_ takes his medication regularly.

"Oh, I'll make _sure_ he takes it _regularly_," the blonde replied with a sly tone after hanging up, and then he chuckled with a menacing glint in his eyes after he found what he was digging around in Renault's duffle bag for.

Then he carelessly tossed the phone on the bed and sat himself disgracefully at the foot of it with the bottle of Reno's pills in his hand while staring at them with a devious hunger. After that, he subconsciously stuck his tongue out in thought and started unscrewing the cap to inspect the capsules. Then he grabbed the bottle of vitamins he got from the items shop and compared the similarity between the appearances of the pills and muttered out, "Perfect," to himself.

* * *

_"You all right, Kid?" _

_Aldrich knelt down to inspect the blossoming bruise on the blonde's cheek and frowned with a slight disapproval, "I didn't mean to hit you like that. But you startled me." _

_"I'm fine," he hissed, and pushed himself from the ground while Adrienne stood back and watched with a sneer on his face. _

_"Good," the redhead said, and then he stood up to walk over to Adrienne while placing his Restore Materia in his pocket, "Then you're fine enough to get the fuck out of my room." _

_With his head down in embarrassment over getting caught for breaking into Aldrich's room and using his Restore Materia, he started walking toward the door, trying to ignore the fact that Adrienne was snickering at him for getting caught. _

_"Wait." _

_With a slight confusion from Adrienne, Aldrich placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder to stop him before he made it all the way out. _

_"Aldrich, what the fuck'r ya doing," Adrienne hissed, and tried to pull him away from the young blonde, "Let the kid fuckin go." _

_"No… I want to know why the little creep keeps breaking into my room and using my Restore Materia." _

_"It's not our fuckin business," Adrienne urged, and glanced at Aldrich's door in fear of the Wutian down the hall, "Just let the fuckin rat go before he goes crying to his Daddy over the fuckin matter." _

_"He's 'not' my 'father'," the blonde angrily reminded him, and narrowed his eyes in bitter resentment._

_"That's obvious," commented Aldrich, staring at the younger blonde with no sign of what he was thinking while addressing his companion, "And I'm afraid it 'is' my business to know why he's using 'my' Materia." _

_"For fuck's sake, Aldrich… just let him go… You're gonna get us both beaten over the fuckin matter." _

_"No," he replied, and continued to stare at the young blonde before him while addressing the little nuisance. _

_"Did you know that this has to be recharged when it's used?" he asked, and then he held it out in front of him, "Did you know that its colour 'fades' with each use to let you know the strength it's at until it's charged back?" _

_With a slight smirk on his face, he reached into his pocket and pulled out an ether to drink while holding the Materia in his hand in order to charge it. Then he pulled the blonde closer to him by the scruff of his shirt so they were almost face to face. "No?" he asked, and tilted his head forward before he narrowed his eye as a thin trickle of blood ran from his nose, "Then I suppose it would be right of me to assume that you didn't 'know' that I like to keep it 'fully' charged at 'all' times." _

_"Fuck…" Adrienne muttered, and dug around in his pocket for a tissue to wipe the blood away from Aldrich's face, "I could've done that for you … Stop playin with the kid." _

_"Shut up, Adrienne," Aldrich hissed with a sudden fire in his eye, "Maybe if I can get it through this kids 'thick' skull that my intake on Ethers and Elixirs is 'limited', then maybe he'll understand the importance as to 'why' I 'don't' like overusing this 'fucking' thing." _

_Not willing to be intimidated by the redhead, the blonde found himself curiously asking, "Why is it limited?" _

_"It ain't you're fuckin business, Kid," Adrienne warned, and pulled Aldrich back by his shoulder to wipe at his face with the tissue again. _

_With a slow turn to his head, the redhead regarded his friend with a wry turn at the corner of his mouth before smoothly commenting, "Yes it is…" Then he pulled Adrienne's hand away from his face with a slight annoyance, "Isn't the little 'brat' the 'eyes' and 'ears' of this place?" _

_"For fuck's sake, Aldrich. He doesn't need to know." _

_"Why not?" Aldrich muttered, "We're all 'one' big 'happy' family here. Maybe he has a right to 'know' about his 'big' brother." _

_"You know that everything you tell him goes back to his 'Daddy'." _

_"So? Maybe I don't care if he tells him everything… It's not like I can feel the punishment anymore." _

_"Fuck… Spare me the nightmare of having to patch you up afterwards." _

_With a snort, Aldrich looked back to the blonde who stood almost the same height as him, and wolfishly grinned. "Spare 'me' the fucking nightmare," he bitterly said, and tilted his head again while brushing the blonde's bang out of his eye, "Do you really want to know?" _

_"Yes," The blonde answered, unwilling to back down and unwilling to react to Aldrich's unexpected light touch, "I want to know why you're the only one around here that gets to keep your own 'personal' Materia." _

_"Fuck it… I'm outta here," Adrienne said angrily, and walked toward the door, "I ain't takin a beatin for this." Then he added right before he closed it, "It's been three hours, Aldrich. Go to the fuckin bathroom." _

_With a smirk, Aldrich turned to the blonde and commented that, "Adrienne is worried I might piss myself." But he didn't leave the spot he was standing in and continued to peer at the young blonde, "So, would you like to tell me why you feel the need to break into my room and use my belongings?" _

_"If I tell you, will you tell me why it matters to you so much?" _

_"It's 'my' Materia." _

_"No," the blonde stated, and scanned his eyes challengingly over Aldrich's face before settling on the scar that ran under his patch, "I want to know the 'real' story." _

_With a snort, Aldrich reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette before lighting it with a match. "Very well… I have nothing to hide," he answered, and paid good mind to the fact that the blonde was staring at his scar, "But since the topic concerns 'my' property, 'you' go first." _

_"He beats me." _

_"Show me," the redhead demanded with a sneer as the colour of his eyes flickered, and then he followed with a step forward as the blonde took a step back by the unexpected return. Then he leaned forward and gripped his fingers into the younger man's jaw to jolt his attention back to him and not the scar, "'Prove' it to me." _

_"What?" _

_"I said 'prove' it to me." _

_"Why?" the blonde asked with a loss of composure as he was pushed roughly to the floor. _

_"Because I find it 'hard' to believe that he would 'beat' his precious little 'pet'… especially when he has the 'rest' of us to take his frustrations out on." _

_With a nervous swallow, the blonde cringed slightly as he watched Aldrich kneel down across his legs while leering at him with a challenging expression, waiting for some kind of proof. Then he looked back to Aldrich's scar and nodded before he undid the buttons on his shirt so he could remove it, revealing an unpleasant roadmap of scars and bruises. _

_"He whips you," Aldrich muttered, and lightly brushed his fingers along a reddened mark that looked fairly fresh, while the blonde flinched at the touch, "Why?" _

_"He says he has to." _

_With a shake to his head over the insanity of it all, the redhead quietly muttered, "Sorry," and put his head down to avoid the blonde's eyes while getting up to walk to the bathroom and remembering what Adrienne told him to do before he left his room, "I thought you were lying." _

_Still slightly nervous and in shock over the predatory way the redhead behaved with him, he shakily put his shirt back on while he stood to stare at the bathroom door and angrily shouted, "You said you'd tell me your story!" _

_"Well, you're going to have to wait. If I piss myself, I'll never hear the end of it from Adrienne." _

_Confused over what the hell that was supposed to mean, the blonde stood there darting his eyes to the side, trying to make sense out of it, until the redhead showed up at the door and took a drag from his cigarette while watching the expression on the young blonde with a slight amusement. _

_"He runs my baths, my showers, tells me when to eat, drink, and go to the bathroom. He won't leave me alone for more than a few hours at best in fear of what kind of mindless thing I'll do to myself or forget to do." _

_"What… are the two of you fags or something?" _

_"Slight case of homophobia?" Aldrich asked, and smiled like he was unaffected by the comment and was just told a good joke. Then he brushed the hair that fell in front of his good eye behind his ear with a feminine sweep, "You've got nothing to worry about, Kid." _

_After taking another drag from his cigarette, he playfully pushed himself upright and walked to stand beside the blonde so he could purr into his ear, "I couldn't do anything to you even if I wanted to." Then he chuckled and moved to his dresser to place his Materia back in the drawer, "And Adrienne's not gay. In fact, he's probably gone to visit his girlfriend right now." _

_"Then why does he act like 'you're' his girlfriend?" _

_"Because," Aldrich clearly replied, and studied the other Materia in his drawer in hopes that he wouldn't have to charge any more of them on account of the blonde, "Adrienne worries about me." With a snort, he slammed the drawer closed in an oddly graceful manner for such an act and turned to the blonde, "I can't feel a damn thing." _

_Then he took a drag from his cigarette and started undoing the buttons on his shirt, "I can't tell if my shower is too hot or too cold and I've nearly cooked myself on more than one occasion… among other things." With a sneer, he lowered his voice and looked to the side, "As a result, that 'fucking' Adrienne has taken it upon himself to act like my fucking nurse… He's scared of what will happen to him if something happens to me." _

_"You don't care?"_

_With nothing more than a snort and a smirk as an answer, he continued unfastening his shirt until he had all the buttons undone. Then he carefully slid the shirt off to reveal a body full of malformed bones and strangely shaped scars before he turned around and lifted his hair away from his neck to show that the malformations ran all the way up his spine and neck. _

_"I wasn't born like this," he factually said, and then he let his hair go and turned back around while taking a drag from his cigarette, "Every now and then, my body… breaks and resets itself, I guess you could say. I use the Restore Materia to repair any damage afterwards – mostly for torn muscles and skin." _

_"Shiva." _

_"No," Aldrich muttered, and slid his shirt back on, "The Gods had nothing to do with it." _

_Then he snorted and motioned for the blonde to sit down on his bed, "Science was responsible for this… Well, that and the biggest mistake I ever befriended." With a bitter chuckle, he knelt in front of the blonde and rested his forearms across the blonde's lap, "No matter… Anyway, Elixirs and Ethers seem to speed up my mutations which is why the 'fuck' I don't like people using 'my' Materia." _

_Figuring that was all the explanation he'd have to give, he started to get up and do his shirt back up when the blonde surprisingly pushed him back down and tilted his face toward him. Then he slightly leaned forward and placed his fingers on the scar as he let himself openly observe it. _

_"Somehow," the younger man slyly said, and let his fingers slide lightly along it, "I don't think 'this' is related to the story you just told me." _

_With a cautious look upward, the redhead simply kept his eye locked on the blonde's face as his patch was carefully lifted with a disturbing fascination. It was really no secret that Aldrich wasn't a big fan of people paying attention to him in such a manner, but for some reason, he did nothing to stop the blonde from removing the patch entirely and running his fingers over his severely damaged eye. _

_"Yet this is the story I'm most interested in hearing." _

_"You want to know what happened," Aldrich cautiously said, and it came out more like a confirmation than a question. _

_"Yes," replied the blonde before he slid off the bed, taking Aldrich slightly off guard as he knelt on the floor in front of him. Then he looked at him with an odd interest and asked him if he ever told anyone about it. _

_"No." _

_"Not even Adrienne?" _

_"It's not something I like to talk about." _

_"I see," the blonde said, and got up to walk casually out of the room, "I'll tell your 'boss' that you've been aiding me with that Restore Materia of yours and we'll see how that goes then." _

_With a disbelieving laugh, Aldrich's brow raised in bewilderment. Then he quickly pushed himself from the floor to place himself between the blonde and the door to stop him from leaving and threateningly asked, "Why would you want to put 'yourself' at risk like that?"_

_"Because I want to know, and you're not going to tell me," the young man factually replied, and then he smirked at the redhead and went to push him out of the way when he was surprised by the strength that pushed him back. _

_"You think you're the only one around here that can 'manipulate' situations to get your way?" Aldrich asked with a suddenly feral nature. Then he smiled wolfishly at the kid and lifted him from the floor by his hair before throwing him into the wall, "I may be a lot of things, Little 'Creep'. But I sure as hell am not going to 'let' someone like 'you' play me for their 'own' personal gain." _

_"Then tell me what happened!" _

_"Why?" _

_"I want to know if it was 'him'." _

_Stopping dead in his tracks from nearly smacking the kid across the room, the redhead regained his composure and re-claimed his patch from the blonde before pulling it back over his eye, wondering why in the hell he let the blonde remove it in the first place. "His 'name' was 'Ren'," he bitterly said, "He was unpredictable when he was cornered… and I just 'happened' to be in his 'fucking' way at the 'wrong' fucking time." _

_"Ren?" _

_"Ren…" he angrily repeated, and brushed the hair on the right side of his face back before muttering out, "Renault." Then he nodded and helped the blonde to his feet, "He thought he was saving me from a fate worse than 'death'." _

_"I've heard that name before…" the blonde mused, and ran his eyes over Aldrich's face in question, "He's the one who killed all those men, isn't he?" _

_"Yes," answered Aldrich, and then he sat down on the edge of his bed, "But it wasn't really 'him' that did it." _

_"I don't understand… Tell me about him." _

* * *

Once the blonde was satisfied with the similarity between the pills, he rummaged quickly through his own bag and pulled out an empty syringe and a vial full of Mako that he collected from the reactor they attained the weapons from. Then he cautiously kept his eyes on the door as he filled it up and proceeded to inject a small amount into a random number of the vitamins.

"He thinks he can control you," he muttered to himself, and then he pulled the Hypers he purchased along with the vitamins from the items shop. With his eyes lighting up, he began to re-fill the emptied syringe with the reddish liquid from the bottle, "Then I guess we'll just have to see how _correct_ he is."

* * *

_"If he was that unstable, how did you manage to control him so well?" _

_With a smirk, the redhead got up and walked over to his drawer. "Like most things," he started, and opened the drawer to scan the contents, "You simply have to understand what you're dealing with." _

_With a keen curiosity, the blonde came to stand beside Aldrich to regard the contents along with him. _

_"Unlike 'normal' limits that max out when a person is wounded, Ren came and went as he pleased, and he didn't die down like a normal limit either. But there were triggers that were always guaranteed to bring him about if you needed him. One was stress, and the other was a small amount of Mako… the latter being my preferred and most easily attained method," Aldrich explained while he fumbled around in his pocket for another cigarette. _

_"I'd mix it with sweet nectar from the candy store… Renault never knew the difference because he never drank anything sweet unless it was liqueur or the juice from a fruit… and he thought I was simply drugging him due to the fact that he'd black out every time." With a slight snort and a smirk over the memory, Aldrich took a drag from his cigarette and tapped the ashes into an empty beer can left on his dresser by Adrienne. _

_"I don't understand why you'd want to do that." _

_"Because… As out of control as Ren was, he was easier to control than Renault due to one simple fact." _

_"Which was?" _

_"He was electric in nature," Aldrich answered factually, "He knew his weaknesses… Earth wounded him more than weapons would, and water injured him severely." _

_With a bitter smile, Aldrich pulled out both Materia types and showed them to the blonde, "If you wanted him to behave, you simply had to remind him that you 'also' knew his weaknesses… and then when you had enough of him, Gravity was always a sure way to get rid of him and bring Renault back. It basically drained him down to nothing… put him to sleep, I guess you could say… allowing Renault to have full control over himself again." _

* * *

Satisfied with the amount of Mako and the fluid from the Hypers he injected into the vitamins, the blonde took Renault's bottle of the pills and dumped the contents into the toilet to flush the evidence away. Then he refilled the bottle with his own concoction before he replaced it back in Renault's bag.

After which, he dug around in his own bag for the Water, Earth, and Gravity Materia he obtained from Aldrich's room and placed them into the bolt armlet the one-eyed redhead gave to him a year before he died.

* * *

_"There's more than one way to play a game, Kid," Aldrich told him with a smile on his face, before he leaned over to do up the top button on the blonde's shirt, "And from what I can tell, you're already 'quite' the little player." _

* * *

"I had you to learn from."

With a sigh, the blonde pulled out a bottle of expensive tequila and sat on the edge of the bed, drinking it and picking at a loose thread in the seam of his pants. Then he suddenly stood up when he remembered why he'd been looking forward to coming to Gold Saucer in the first place and set his sight on his bag to dig out a change of clothes and another item he had expertly made for a very special purpose.

Figuring _Reno_ would find himself in the Chocobo Square or the new casino to gamble all their money away after he tired of the Battle Square and would most-likely remain out until sometime in the early afternoon or the late morning or the next day, he decided he'd have more than enough time to tend to his own business. After all, if that suicidal maniac could do as he pleased whenever he wanted to, then why couldn't he?

* * *

_"One more thing…" Aldrich mentioned, just before the blonde was about to leave his room, "I'll make you a deal." _

_"What's that?" _

_"Because you remind me of myself, you're welcome to use my Restore Materia whenever you need it… But only under one condition." _

_"Which is?" _

_"'You' take it upon 'yourself' to keep it re-charged, 'regardless' of whether you use it or not." _

* * *

"Sir," Tseng said quietly, after carefully walking across Rufus' office in an attempt not to startle him. He'd known for some time that Rufus was avoiding his apartment, but now that he and Elena were staying there, he found himself drawn to try and bring Rufus out of his unhealthy denial, "Rufus… Wake up."

Keeping his tone soft, he cautiously put the lid down on Rufus' laptop and took the earring out of his hand and placed it in the younger man's breast pocket. He'd heard Rufus yell at enough people when he thought he'd lost it to know well enough what it was all about, and then he gently pulled the blonde from his desk to sit him upright and wipe at the drool running from the corner of the younger man's mouth with a compassionate shake to his head.

"Wha time'sit?" the younger man muttered, still in a state of being half-asleep and not bothering to open his eyes.

"It's half passed three-hundred hours, Sir." With a careful study of Rufus' barely responsive state, Tseng curled his fingers into the President's that were still wrapped around the near-empty bottle of scotch on the desk. "This isn't healthy, Rufus…" he informed, with a genuine caring, "Come and sleep in your own bed."

"m'fine rit'ere."

"No, Rufus," Tseng answered, and frowned at the site of the young President slumping back into his chair. He'd struggled with himself several times over the matter as to whether or not he should intervene and simply hoped that Rufus would come out of his depression on his own.

But as more time passed, he was strongly beginning to doubt it was going to happen, and he honestly couldn't take it anymore. There may however, have been another reason he chose that particular night to suddenly take the initiative, and it may have seemed insensitive at first glance too. But in all honesty, Tseng really needed something to take his mind off the recent events, and after finally getting Elena to fall asleep, he found that he, himself, could not sleep.

Despite the manner that Tseng often carried himself in, there'd been times where he honestly didn't know how he was going to cope, and this just happened to be one of those times. At least he could tend to those present, if not those that weren't… but it was best not to think of that. The last thing Shinra needed was for him to lose it too. "You need to get a proper night's sleep," he said, and attempted to pull the blonde to his feet.

"m'fine."

"No. You're not. Now please…" After pulling Rufus' arm over his shoulder and wrapping his own around the younger man's waist to support him, he more or less ordered the manic President to do as he requested, "Come up to your apartment."

"Nuthinthere," Rufus muttered into Tseng's shoulder. But he had no will to fight with the man in the state he was in, and he simply let himself be guided to a place that was full of nothing but memories.

"There's nothing down here either," Tseng reminded him, impressed that he'd managed to get the disoriented young man as far as the office door, "But at least you can sleep properly up there."

"Mm."

Tseng would have felt like he'd accomplished something if it wasn't for Rufus waking up before the crack of dawn and disappearing from the building without a trace.

* * *

"Hey!"

The voice was gruff and hard, practically echoing through his head from the medication they kept him on and he found himself wincing at the sound of the keys clanging against the bars on his door. The drugs were standard procedure for what they called his 'breed'. They were designed to keep him subdued, and it was something new, courtesy of Shinra's lab technicians to keep imprisoned Soldiers from using their biological enhancements against the guards.

It was discovered by accident over four years ago when a cure for the Sephiroth clones was finally discovered. The only problem was that the failed clones' systems carried a mutated form of the cells and it was discovered there was no hope for them due to the fact that the cells managed to integrate themselves into their DNA in a way that weighed far too much risk to tamper with.

"Soldier boy!"

"What?" he muttered into the dirt on the floor, and didn't even care that it had gone into his mouth. He'd been there for almost five years and treated like nothing more than a worthless animal, and to make matters worse, no one knew where he was.

He made the grave mistake of taking off on his own like he always did, to escape the feeling of ridicule over a secret that was no longer kept secret before he wound up making the biggest mistake he'd made in a long time, and as far as he knew, everyone just assumed he'd run away from them all. Supposing it didn't help matters that he always tended to do just that in the past, he knew there was no way anyone was ever going to discover where he was, or even why.

"You've got company."

"That's impossible," he mumbled. But he pushed himself up anyway, and figured he'd play along with whatever game they had planned for him that day. It wasn't like it mattered anymore, because nothing really mattered.

"The only person that knows I'm here is the one that put…" Suddenly liking the thought of company even less, he found himself studying the guard's expressions to see if he was serious or not, "me..." and somehow, he didn't think it was a joke as he continued with his reluctant thought, "here." Then he backed himself against the wall like an animal trying to avoid being picked for the next study and insisted that he wasn't going to tend to his visit, "I'm not going."

With a cynical chuckle, the guard opened the door and waved two others to come and assist him with the suddenly reluctance that overcame Cloud. "I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Scum," the guard commented, and proceeded to put the shackles around the docile prisoner's wrists and ankles, "Your _visitor_ made it quite clear that it _wasn't_ a request."

* * *

After following the procedure set forth for prisoners from the Soldier Class by securing the chains from his shackles to a heavily bolted surface near a chair and a table, two of the guards went to let the visitor in while the other opened a case to prepare an injection to ensure that Cloud remained complacent during and after his visit. But he was ordered to stop as the guest entered and lit his cigarette.

"That won't be necessary," the man said, as he stood at the door and pulled his cigarette away from his mouth. Then he moved forward while requesting some privacy, "You may leave."

"Yes, Sir."

All the while, Cloud sat there with a sneer on his face in the sheer and utter hatred he held for the man, kicking himself for ever trying to save him, and kicking himself over the fact that he once thought he saw something good in him, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. "Rufus Shinra," Cloud muttered, while glaring bitterly at him.

"Cloud Strife," the tall blonde carelessly responded, and ran his finger underneath the scarf around his neck to loosen it slightly, "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough," Cloud replied, and pulled on the chains to see how secure they were. The last person he wanted to be paid a visit by was the man who put him there.

"There's no need to be like that." With an oddly amused look in the President's eyes, he moved to stand behind the ex-Soldier and dragged his fingers lightly across the man's shoulder in a taunting and successful attempt to irritate the man, "I bring good news."

"I find that hard to believe," Cloud grumbled, and quickly jerked his shoulder away from Rufus' fingers.

"Oh?" With a quick and unnoticed glint in his eye, the President lightly snorted while smirking at Cloud from behind as he pulled out a manila-coloured envelope from the inside of his overcoat, "I believe you'll change your mind once you see what I've brought you."

"Quit wasting my time and tell me why you're here," Cloud snapped, and leaned more forward while not liking the idea of Rufus standing that close to him.

"What's your hurry?"

"I've got better things to do than waste my time with you."

"I see," The blonde responded, and snickered ever so subtly, "I never would have assumed you'd have so many things to look forward to in prison." Then he tapped the back of the ex-Soldier's head with the envelope and tossed it on the table in front of him, "However, I believe you'll change your mind once you see what's in that envelope."

With a sneer, Cloud simply stared at the envelope with no real desire to find out what kind of game Rufus was playing with him, and ignored the arrogant President as he walked to the opposite side of the table in front of him to watch his reaction.

"Aren't you even curious?" the President asked, and then he ran his finger under his scarf again before taking another drag from his cigarette.

"No," Cloud answered, and sat stubbornly back in his chair, hoping that Rufus wasn't planning on keeping him there for much longer. As unpleasant as Corel Prison had been to him, he preferred the company of the mindless criminals who took pleasure in taking advantage of his weakened state over the manipulative meanderings of the self-claimed aristocrat who'd managed to place himself above the law.

Besides, he'd always managed to defend himself against the ruffians in the prison despite his medicated condition. But when it came to Rufus, there wasn't much one could do except play along, or simply refuse to play and pay the consequences, and Cloud being Cloud… well, he chose the latter. After all, the whole reason he was there in the first place was utter bullshit.

"Hm," the President muttered, and tapped on his cigarette before carelessly pushing the envelope closer to Cloud. Then he seated himself in the empty chair beside him, somewhat uncharacteristically.

"I realize I may have overreacted somewhat," he coolly said, and kept his legs slightly apart instead of crossing them like he usually did when he sat back, "Perhaps imprisoning you for attempted murder wasn't one of my more… let's say… _better_ ideas."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Cloud scowled, as he glared in annoyance at Rufus and doing his best to ignore the envelope that was starting to gain his unwilling curiosity.

"I'm saying that I may have made a mistake."

_You 'are' a fucking mistake, _Cloud thought to himself, and waved the smoke out of his face as it trailed in his direction while wondering when in the hell did Rufus start smoking.

But besides that, if anyone should have been in prison over the matter, it should have been Rufus. He was the one who tried to shoot the ex-Soldier; Cloud was simply defending himself and regretting every second of it since then; he should have just killed the man and had it all done and over with.

Then at least, he'd be in prison for a genuine reason. The unpredictable circumstances brought Cloud to a point to where he no longer cared about that damn promise he made to Reno. In fact, he had no idea why he honoured that man's request to ensure Rufus was taken care of in the first place, and as a reminder to himself, Reno was just as much of a manipulative criminal as the pompous ass sitting across from him.

_Fuck them both._

After watching the non-responsive expression on the spiky-haired man in front of him, the President leaned forward to grab the envelope with a look of agitated defeat, catching Cloud's attention more so in regards to his movements than his actions. Paying no mind to him though, the younger man simply opened the envelope himself and pulled out something that looked like some official forms, and then he ran his finger beneath his scarf again before tossing the contents over to Cloud.

_When did Rufus stop moving like a delicate little girl? _Cloud mockingly thought to himself.

There was nothing elegant about the President's actions, and he seemed more erratic than composed, despite the fact that he was speaking in his usually taunting manner. He seemed almost irritated with himself and uncomfortable and as far as Cloud could remember, Rufus was never uncomfortable, regardless of his surroundings.

Mind you though, it _had_ been almost five years since he last saw the man. He supposed a lot of things could have happened to change him. After all, he _did_ smell somewhat of alcohol and he _was_ smoking. Those were two things Cloud never would have expected from someone as high on his horse as Rufus. However, he got his answer no sooner than the thought passed after he set his attention on the forms sitting in front of him.

"Reno is dead," the President said in a flat-out tone, and then he took another drag from his cigarette as if what he said had no effect on him whatsoever, "I see no need to keep you here anymore."

With a snort of disbelief, more over the fact that Rufus saw nothing wrong with admitting to the reason for imprisoning him, Cloud brushed off the words and looked at the forms. Why bother reacting anyway? As far as he knew, Reno was dead the first time.

That was, until Vincent told him otherwise and he went to confront Rufus over the matter for keeping it a secret. Things didn't quite go as planned though. But then again, after Cloud thought about it, there really was no plan, and he probably shouldn't have hit the President with the blunt end of his sword and threatened to kill him either.

In fact, it was probably one of the dumbest things he'd ever done. Well, that and the fact that he slept with Reno in the first place… and let himself fall for him too. Didn't _everyone_ he ever care about die? He should have known better. _Fuck it. _He should have expected as much. But then again, Rufus was practically a compulsive liar… "What's this?"

After watching the annoyed ex-Soldier carefully for any sign of reaction over telling him about Reno, the corner of the President's mouth moved ever so subtly, and he moved his attention to the papers Cloud was flipping through in confusion, "Your pardon."

"You really are an asshole," Cloud factually mused, and read over the official statements and signatures. _I guess I'm no longer a threat now that his 'lover's' gone._

"However," the President cut in, and tapped his ashes into the glass of water sitting in front of Cloud, "If you read the last part, there _is _a stipulation."

"Why am I not surprised?"

Fighting the urge to smile, the President motioned to the papers and stated, "You're not to go anywhere near Midgar or Edge… or anywhere within fifteen thousand kilometres of the said places."

Narrowing his eyes at Cloud, he took another drag before continuing, "You'll be killed on sight if you do." Then he smirked and sat back in a manly fashion while motioning his hand to the papers, "I have no desire to ever set eyes on you again, and you'll also see that in order for your pardon to be honoured, a signature in compliance is required."

Snorting again over such a clause, and not really being surprised either, Cloud simply stated that he didn't have a pen, and then he pushed the papers away and sat back to regard the arrogant bastard across from him.

However, did he really want to stay where he was? The world was a big enough place and he could always go back to his hometown or somewhere else that he could claim as his home. Not to mention that he rarely ever spent much time in Midgar or Edge anyway. He liked being alone… didn't he?

"Allow me," the President responded, and pulled a slender, silver-coloured pen from his inner breast pocket. Then he placed it on the table and pushed it suggestively towards the frustrated ex-Soldier before sitting back again.

_Fine… Whatever… _

With a sigh, Cloud leaned forward and reluctantly grabbed the pen and pulled the papers back. "Sounds fine to me," he muttered, before he sunk his head into his shoulders over the fact that he was agreeing to the son of a bitch's terms, "I have no desire to ever see you again either."

"Very well," the President, stated when the papers were all signed and he took the originals for his own records and left the copies on the table for Cloud. Then with a satisfied smile, he tossed his finished cigarette into the glass and got up to tap on the door for the guards. "I hear that Wutai is quite nice this time of year," he carelessly said

_Wutai…_ Cloud thought bitterly, _Like I'm gonna go anywhere 'you' suggest._

When the guards entered the room, the President informed them that Cloud was a free man and that he'd like all of the matters tended to as quickly as possible, almost suggestive of him not wanting any time wasted whatsoever. This all in turn, caused Cloud to wonder exactly what kind of game he'd just agreed to play with that demon of a man.

* * *

After a quick stop to Cosmo Canyon for lunch, and then another quick stop to Nibelheim to stock up on cigarettes. The two men found themselves standing at a pile of rubble somewhere up at Mount Nibel. Unknown to the redhead, it was the ruins of an underground Mako reactor that supposedly went thermal over five years ago, and he found himself pacing back and forth while his accomplice paid special attention to nothing more than a giant pit full of broken concrete.

"I thought we were goin ta Wutai," he complained, before taking a drink from a bottle of moonshine that he got from Cosmo Canyon.

"We _are_," the blonde replied through his teeth, and tossed an unopened pack of cigarettes onto the rubble, along with a pack of matches. He came to visit every year, but he'd been delayed due to the fact that the Wutian wanted him present to keep an eye on the rebellious redhead.

"Then what the fuck'r we doin here?" Annoyed over the blonde's constantly cryptic motives, the redhead stopped pacing and wondered why in the hell that idiot just threw a full pack of Gaiadamned cigarettes away, "An what's with the cigarettes… ya tryin to quit?"

"Shut up," the blonde answered, and then he knelt down before the ruins and apologized for being late.

Suddenly curious, and overly-anxious for some odd reason, the redhead walked up to the ruins to peer into it to see what the hell the blonde was doing and concluded that someone must have died there, "Someone die here?"

_Someone 'you' killed._

"Yes," the blonde replied through his teeth, and found himself wishing that the redhead had died along with him.

"Hm."

With a shrug, the redhead chuckled and tossed some of his drink carelessly at the pit in a manner that suggested he really didn't feel all that sorry for the circumstances. "Maybe they'd like a drink too," he chortled, and was about to walk away when the blonde angrily darted to his feet and smacked the bottle out of his hand.

"_Aldrich_ never _drank_!" he growled, and then he re-composed himself when he saw a flash of blue dart across the redhead's eyes. Then he muttered with a bit of a smile on his face when he turned his back to the redhead and went back to the ruins while reminding himself of the Materia he had in his armlet, "He felt his _mind_ was all he had left."

"Ah," _Aldrich… _

With a nod and a roll to his eyes, the redhead frowned at the smashed bottle on the ground and shrugged. "Fuckin freak," he muttered, and then he reached into his jacket pocket for a flask and took another drink while walking up to the cliff's edge to look over it. He honestly couldn't have cared less. Even though he was supposedly friends with the nutcase he was accompanied by, or least that's what he was told, he sure as hell didn't feel like they were friends.

"By the way, _Renault_," the blonde called to him from where he was standing, without turning to regard him.

"Yeah?" Basically paying the same mind as the blonde and not turning either, he continued to scan the area to see if he could figure out why it felt so familiar to him.

"Did you take your medication this morning?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, and took another drink before he dropped it and hissed while bringing his hand instinctively to his temple to rub at a suddenly vicious and piercing pain.

_"I've never kissed a man before," _

"What the fu –!"

"Is everything all right?"

Jumping at the fact that the blonde was suddenly standing right next to him and wondering how he got there that fast, the redhead turned and regarded him with a sudden wash of horror over what just flashed through his head.

"Renault?" the blonde asked, and smiled at him with a strange sense of satisfaction as he placed his hand on the other man's shoulder in a feigned manner of concern.

* * *

Revised: August 18, 2010


	5. Gaiadamned Wutai

**Gaiadamned Wutai **

* * *

It was almost afternoon by the time the members of the Landslide organisation brought Tseng and Elena's daughter to the Kalm-located quarters favoured by their Wutian boss. It wouldn't have taken so long if they weren't set on a detour route, but as things were, it was best to set a false trail in hopes that it would offset any attempts at tracking their whereabouts.

After all, the last thing anyone wanted to do was reveal the identity of their boss and the location at which he preferred to reside at; such an act would most certainly be a cause for an unquestionable instant death.

By the time they entered the Wutian's private villa, which was a separate building from the man's office and resided on the outskirts of Kalm through the sheltered entrance without being seen, the little girl had just begun to stir as the vaporous medication they used on her started to wear off.

She didn't wake up at that time though, and she was carried to a soundproof room in the basement designed for the very purpose in which it was intended; to keep any possible onlookers from ever being suspicious.

Of course, due to the nature of their work, they had done this several times before, and there was several rooms lined up almost like cells with the very same intention in mind. However, for this very special occasion, as Darius Malkuth saw it, the room required extra-special attention, but not because she was the daughter of two Turks, or because attaining her raised extra risks.

It was simply due to the fact that the little girl held much more promise than simply taking two very important Turks out of the picture.

As the Mideelan man unlocked the door for the others to bring her in, he held up his hand to inform them to stay put as he took one last look over the state of the more moderately-sized cell in comparison to the others in order to ensure that everything was as it should be. It was a perfect replica of the little girls very own bedroom at home, and he wanted to make sure that nothing was out of place.

It was not to convince the little girl to think she was still at home, which he felt was ineffective, but he rather hoped it was familiar enough to keep her a little more comfortable than she would have been in a plainly decorated room like they generally used. After all, he didn't want the little girl to be too frightened.

No, this particular abduction carried an entirely different agenda than those of the past, and who knew? Maybe if everything went as planned, they could keep her for their own purposes like they did once before when they went through an equal amount of trouble to keep one other from ever being frightened or uncomfortable.

But of course, that one was only a baby at the time and was neither here nor there in relation to their latest agenda. She was after all, very well-bred and could prove quite useful if they could hone any inherent skills the little girl may have been gifted with, particularly if they could convince her that they cared more about her than her parents did.

All that aside though, once the dark man was satisfied with the state and condition of the room, he motioned for the men to bring her in and laid her on the bed, causing her to stir again from the quiet noises and subtle movements within her proximity. With a slight smile at the way the little girl moved and sighed in her sleep, Darius knelt down beside her bed and brushed her hair back from her face in admiration of how lucky the little girl was to be one of their more fortunate abductees.

"You look so much like your mother," he muttered, as he frowned at the black locks handed down from her father's lineage and stood up to habitually brush at the knees of his pants before he walked over to the adjoining bathroom to open the door in a manner to make its location more obvious to the little girl when she awakened.

"Would you like one of us to stand guard, Sir?" one of the men asked the Wutian's dark partner as he made his way out of the well-decorated room, causing him to pause long enough to contemplate the question.

"Yes," he answered, and then he gave them both a good, sizing glance with the knowledge that they were the best suited for not doing anything uncalled for before he added, "You may both stay here and watch over her."

Then he quietly closed the door and locked it before handing the key over to the man who'd asked the question, "Ensure she gets something to eat when she becomes conscious. I don't want her becoming more frightened than she will already be, and a little hospitality may prove to soothe her enough to keep her mildly compliant."

He was about to walk away when he thought better of it and turned to remind the men that she would be better off as long as one of them always remained near her, and that they should alternate their breaks and absences to ensure she didn't feel too alone and frightened.

After all, children generally felt more comfortable when they felt they were taken care of and within a safe proximity to another person they viewed as a friend as opposed to a foe. It was unfortunate, he thought, that he couldn't stay there to watch over her as well, but with his Boss' absence that day, he was left to attend to the more mediocre endeavours that the Wutian often tended to.

He didn't mind though, they'd been working partners and friends ever since the Wutian saved his life several decades ago, and having the little girl see his face was not exactly something he deemed as necessary, if not completely undesirable should things ever go wrong.

Not to mention that with all things considered, they didn't exactly bring her in to make friends with her anyway; that was the job for the lower employee's that Darius and his partner felt were expendable. No. They brought her in to lure her father away from more questionable tasks and to keep him unfocused.

Of course there was a little more to it on his Boss' behalf. But allowing himself to focus on the little girl's father's traitorous acts of the past was not something that really required a great deal of attention from the Mideelan at that moment, and with those thoughts brushed aside, Darius Malkuth took it upon himself to ascend the stairs and make his way into the kitchen for the day's lunch.

All the while, as he ascended to the main branch of the Villa, he thought to himself with a smile on his face about how much he couldn't wait to finally have Tseng right where he and his Boss wanted him…

If only Elena didn't have to be involved though, because killing someone as beautiful as her was certainly going to be a terrible shame if not a complete and utter waste of good genes.

No matter though, she was too old and would have been too much trouble to put any effort into anyway, much like the way he felt about his Wutian friend's latest obsession with the redheaded Turk.

* * *

After spending the majority of the night going through Tseng and Elena's apartment for any kind of evidence whatsoever, or any kind of lead, Rude found himself standing in the kitchen of his co-workers, dumbfounded and shaking his head. _A ghost could have left better clues, _he thought to himself as he stood there at ease under the frame of the door and watched the other Turks carry the expression that he was sure he was doing a better job at hiding.

With no more than a slight tap of his fingers over the other hand that he was clasping in front of him, he let out a very subtle sigh and glanced once more at the coffee pot that seemed to be taking forever to brew as he did his best to try and not think of what Tseng and Elena must have been going through.

They'd gone over everything and through everything more times than the big man was capable of keeping track of, and if there were cameras set up from an unknown source, they sure as Hades weren't there anymore. The whole scenario left him finding himself more confused by the riddle of all the break-ins in the past as he reminded himself that they all left the same types of clinical absence in their wake, and as those thoughts ran through his head, he was beginning to wonder more and more if maybe Rufus wasn't so crazy about his belief in Reno's death being a set-up after all.

He never understood what it was between those two, and he wasn't really sure if he wanted to understand it either. But they seemed to carry a special bond that almost bordered on a co-dependency that only seemed to grow stronger between the two men as each day passed in the short time they were together, and they always seemed to know what was going on with the other without ever really _knowing_, almost as if they were meant for one another from the start. But as far as Rude was ever concerned in regards to that dependency they shared, he felt it was dangerous.

But he was beginning to wonder if maybe he only saw it as a crux between them simply because he wanted to. After all, he knew a good portion of Reno's past, and he knew of the mistakes the rambunctious Turk made throughout his life and how a good portion of them haunted him straight through to his bitter end.

On top of that, he also saw Rufus as nothing more than another one of those mistakes, another cruel and sadistic _Aldrich_, doing nothing more than adding to the notch in the younger man's belt of nefarious misfortunes. But when he really did think about it, which he did on occasion, he came to realize that although Rufus didn't always bring out the best in Reno, Reno seemed to bring out the best in Rufus, softening him up somewhat and making him more palatable and easier to work for and with, if not outright unpredictable in the fact that he let a lot of things slide that he never would have let slide before he wound up pre-occupying himself with the enigmatic redhead.

However, if he looked deeper, it wasn't necessarily fair to say that Rufus didn't bring out the best in Reno at times, even if it was only in small portions. Sure, there was the inner struggle that the ruffian relentlessly suffered from, but then again when Rude really thought about it, didn't Reno always suffer from that? As far back as Rude could remember, his younger partner and friend had always been confused and unsure of himself.

Of course, he hid it well by acting like he didn't care about anything. But all it took was for someone to be patient enough to get to know him well enough to realize that Reno wasn't as self-centred and egotistical as he often pretended to be to the average onlooker. In fact, one could almost say that the redhead merely behaved that way in order to hide the fact that he felt he was really nothing more than vulnerable, something in which the rambunctious Turk always hated about himself and made every effort to deny.

Yes, the more Rude thought about it, the more he realized that Rufus actually did something good to the Turk inside. Even though he found himself not really wanting to admit to it, time and time again, the truth had always been there… right in front of everyone.

Reno actually _wanted _to live for a change.

It was unfair though. For the first time that the faithless Turk realized he had something to live for, it was the first time that he wound up falling farther into an abysmal depth that he couldn't claw his way out of, and he started to literally die. He fought it to the bitter end though, which was something Rude knew all to well would never have happened before Rufus.

Before Rufus, Reno would have simply found himself a way to speed the process along if not simply find someone angry enough to do the deed for him. He was good at that; pushing people's buttons to reward himself with a negative response had become a perfected art to the lithe little pecker-head.

_Hm… _

Obviously, Rude had dried up his resources for the day, especially if he was standing there and trying to make sense out of Reno and Rufus while he proceeded to pour himself _another_ cup of coffee from the freshly filled pot that had finally finished brewing. There was nothing out of sorts to be found in that blasted apartment. No evidence… no… nothing.

_Out of sorts? _

Maybe that was the problem. He was looking for something unfamiliar…

With that sudden thought crossing his mind, he set his coffee down as he remembered a small and simple fact… Reeve was working on something he called 'Nano-RoboCams' a few years back. Wasn't he? They were tiny robotic cameras designed for stealth, no bigger than an insect and with an insect-like appearance and mobility, and their systems had been broken into and raided on several occasions. Hadn't they?

Was it possible that their enemies were using Shinra's own technology against them?

_That's a dumb question_, he thought to himself. Then he picked up his coffee and took another sip while he contemplated the idea, _Of course it's possible…_

With nothing more than a blank thought and an almost automatic reaction, Rude reached for his PHS and hit the speed-dial for Reeve. It was practically mid-day by that time, so there was no concern about interfering with the man's private life, if he even had one, or by being _rude._

It seemed odd to the man as he stood there thinking about it suddenly though. After all, he was only down in Reeve's lab not even two days ago asking him whatever happened to the small cameras he was working on, simply out of an unknown curiosity.

Well, with Reeve being Reeve, he naturally corrected the big man in his usual snobbish manner with the proper name and then told him he could never get them to behave the way he'd like them to… whatever the hell that meant. Sometimes Rude really wondered if Reeve even knew the difference between his machines and the things that were actually alive. But what was it exactly that Reeve said before he greatly offended Rude by blowing his smoke into the bigger man's face? If only he didn't get so pissed off and leave at that point…

He said something about them being too unstable and hard to control due to their size. He also said something about the picture quality being 'piss-poor' and that he scrapped the project some time ago.

_Piss-poor_… Rude thought. That was an odd choice of words for the upper-class eccentric… _Hm_… but then again, Reeve _was _an eccentric…

Not really being the type for small-talk or tact, the moment the equally socially awkward Reeve answered after Rude unconsciously dialled his number, all Rude said was, "Reeve," simply for confirmation, and once that was confirmed, all method of conversation was completely bypassed and the only thing Rude was interested in was what he asked.

"Is there a way to detect those mini-cam things you were working on a couple of years back?"

"They were called Nano-RoboCams, Rude. And yes."

_Who gives a shit what they're called?_ Naturally, to any onlookers, there was no tell-tale sign as to what Rude was thinking or feeling because he simply looked and behaved the way he always did – cryptic, "How?"

"Why would you want to know that?" Reeve asked, backed with a hint of confusion in his voice, "The project was abandoned."

With nothing more than a frustrated sigh because he was really in no mood to converse with the man, he simply avoided the question altogether and repeated himself in a way he felt might get him better results, "That's unimportant. Just tell me if there is a way to detect them."

"Do you think that's how the enemy is watching us?" Reeve asked, like he had a sudden epiphany, obviously oblivious to the Turks tone and tactless desire to get a straight answer. Then he continued to ramble on about how that would make so much sense, causing the impatient Turk to roll his eyes in frustration.

Naturally, it was unnoticed to those present with him though, since he always wore those dark shades to keep people away from reading too much into his thoughts… "But the quality was terrible on those…"

"I'm not interested in the quality," Rude informed the talkative nut-case, allowing the slight edge in his voice to shine through, "Just tell me if there's a way to detect them."

"Of course there is. How else would I be able to locate them if something went wrong?"

_I swear to Gaia, if I was down there with you right now, I'd thump you a good one._

"Then, _how_ do you _detect_ them?" Completely aware of the fact that the last little bit of what he said didn't really sound like much of a question as it did a demand, Rude decided to _attempt_ to patiently await the answer. All the while, he kept telling himself that if the next thing that left Reeve's mouth wasn't what he requested, he was going to hang up and go down there immediately to ring that crazy eccentric's throat with his bare hands.

"I used a hand radio on an unused frequency. I can't remember which one it was. All I remember was that it was a clear channel and it got static when it was in close proximity to the cams. I would have developed something more sophisticated if I felt the project was worth the effort but as things developed, it just didn't seem like there was any point to continuing on with the –"

"What do you _mean_ you can't remember?"

"Why would I want to remember? It was over three years ago, and I told you I abandoned the project. Honestly, Rude, do you ever bother to remember things that are no longer of importance to you?"

Apparently, Reeve took note of Rude's tone and unnecessary interruption in his explanation and responded in a way that appeared to be a form of retaliation. After all, he didn't have to answer to a damned Turk. He worked for Rufus, not the criminals that worked below him.

_I'm gonna kill you one of these days._

Tempers aside though, Rude decided to conclude the conversation that was going nowhere with a simple, "I know you well-enough, Reeve. You keep all your projects, good and bad, in that database of yours, and on behalf of the President, I am _ordering_ you to retrieve that information before sixteen-hundred hours _today_."

Apparently, Rude happened to know that Reeve felt he didn't have to answer to anyone but the President, and decided to clarify his position with the small reminder that whether Reeve liked it or not, the Turks were an extension of the President's position. Then, before Reeve even had the chance to open that smart-ass mouth of his again, Rude hit the disconnect with every possible attempt to hide his agitation toward the matter.

He knew Reeve saw him as nothing more than a _Shinra Turk_, which basically meant nothing more than a highly paid criminal to the upper-class snob, and he was probably right too. But then again, Rude was probably over-reacting a little as well. After all, it _had _been a long night and day and he hadn't slept for over twenty-four hours.

But he'd never indulge in making excuses for himself, and with that aside, he set his empty cup down and walked into the bathroom to lean against the door after closing it with thoughts of how much he hated his job and how much the reminder of those around him that still viewed the Turks as criminals weren't really helping matters.

Then, as he found himself thinking of how Reno always used to ask, "Does it ever get any fuckin better?" he found himself quietly murmuring out the answer that he always refused to indulge when he was in his best friend's presence.

"I don't think it does."

With that admittance in mind, he brushed the palm of his hand over his bald head and reached into his pocket to take out the small velvet case he never got the chance to give to Tifa and contemplated why he ever thought things would improve in the first place.

_Maybe it was for the better,_ he thought to himself in regards to the interruption the evening before, as he opened the small package and inspected the simple and careful craftsmanship of the small and delicate piece of metal.

After all, how could he ever expect to make things work out between them anyway? They were both from completely different worlds. Not to mention that getting close to her at that particular point in time might not have been in his best interest anyway, because the more he thought about it, the more he began to wonder if he was putting her at an unnecessary risk by being involved with her…

After all, if he were to put things together and attempt to find a relation, he would only come to one conclusion. First, there was Reno's illness, if that had anything to do with anything at the present. Second, there was the explosion in the Cryogenics Department, finalizing any uncertainty they had toward Reno's condition. And thirdly, there was the abduction of Allysia, and how he hoped that she was taken for nothing more than ransom.

He'd seen enough things go wrong in his day that he really hoped he wouldn't have to witness another unfortunate event involving a child. Of course, this particular case was a little different because it was a little girl he knew and watched over as if she were part of his own family. She even called him 'Uncle', and he even liked it. But he'd be better off not to think too personally on the matter and stick to the goal at hand instead.

So…

Was there a relation to all those events? Would someone really be that patient enough to wait for years in between attacks?

Anything was possible.

But if so, why? What would their purpose be and what would they have to gain by such a strangely laid out endeavour? And of course… Was he wasting his time by considering such questions in regard to the relation? Best to cover all bases though…

But when he thought about it, all those incidences were so spaced out, and none of it really made sense to the big man in regards to a warranted outcome. But then again, maybe it did make sense. Maybe there was a bigger plan in play for them all, and maybe Rude wasn't really wasting his time by trying to figure out if each event had something to do with the other.

For what purpose though, he had no idea. It did seem tactical though, in a roundabout and indirect sort of way. Taking Reno, the second in command of the Turks out of the picture, not only got Reno out of the way, it also affected Rufus who was the President and pretty much in control of almost everything, and anyone doing their homework would have certainly known that.

The latest incident with Allysia would, and did most certainly, take its toll on both her parents, which pre-occupied two more Turks at the head of the Department, leaving the third in command, Rude, to have to sit and wait out his turn if it was to come to that. More so, it also left him practically in charge, which was a position he didn't really want to be in.

No, he couldn't really say he was too fond of the idea really, considering the only thing he could think of that would hit him hardest would be Tifa, and being in charge of a ship full of distraught and vengeful co-workers didn't exactly seem like a most appealing thought to the big man either.

All of this in turn, led his mind to wander back into the direction of _Tifa…_

Why in Hades name did he have to fall for her in the first place? Maybe he should have asked her to leave to go into hiding somewhere. But would she ever listen to such a concern? Probably not. Rude knew the woman all too well. The woman was a fighter who refused to stand down regardless of what she was up against; that was actually one of the things he found most attractive about her in the first place.

Then again, there was really no proof that something would happen to her. After all, Rude was pretty low-key and probably the least of anyone's worries, even though he did have the authority.

He knew he was mostly seen as nothing more than the muscle with no brains behind the Turks and that no one ever expected him to really be 'smart' or 'logical'. Not that any of that really bothered him though. He may not have been as smart as Reno or Tseng, but he did ace his class and knew what he was good at, and he was a fairly close runner-up to those two as well. And being anywhere near that was definitely not something to be modest about. Plus, sometimes being underestimated had its advantages…

And Reno definitely knew all about that since he played it to the max every chance he got.

_Tifa will be fine,_ he assured himself as he placed the ring carefully back into its case and closed it.

Who was he kidding anyway? He knew he could never let her go, and he knew he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her. It would just take a little more time and effort than he hoped for. Then, in an attempt to try and make himself feel better about the whole situation, he had to say to himself, "I pity anyone that ever messes with you, Babe."

Not because they'd have to deal with him though, even though they would. But yeah… they'd regret the day they ever messed with her if it ever came to that…

She'd beat their asses red.

Enough of that though, with everything that'd happened in the last little while, Rude was becoming rather sentimental and it was really best not to be. So, he placed the small, blue, velvet case back in his pocket and decided he would work on his report in regards to his findings, not that there was really anything to report. And on that thought, he found himself hoping that Tseng and Elena were having better luck with their investigations out on the field than he was in their apartment.

Basically, the only thing Rude really was sure about at that moment was that he couldn't wait until the day was finally over…

Because he could sure as hell use a drink.

* * *

It was becoming late afternoon by the time Cloud made his way into Nibelheim to book a room at the Inn, which he quietly made his way up to in a complete attempt to not be noticed and basically dropped everything he was carrying at the door the moment he closed it behind him.

At least those assholes at the prison gave him back all his weapons. But they messed with his bike which he wasn't too happy about, and to top things off, he was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to get used to the lethargy those injections made him feel.

On the bright side though, the effect was at least beginning to wear off. He just didn't know how long it would take for his system to return entirely to normal again. Not that he really knew the definition of the word or what 'normal' felt like, but at the very least, he'd be able to focus enough to work on his bike and fix whatever those idiots did to it.

However, with all of that aside, he was somewhat thankful he ran into Nanaki when he made his quick stop for supplies and fuel at Cosmo Canyon. Even though he didn't want to be seen or socialize with anyone he knew, he had to admit that he found comfort in it nonetheless.

Of course, he was a little more thankful that the red – whatever-it-was – wasn't there five years ago to bear witness to one of his more vulnerable states. But he was sure the fairly large creature heard about it nonetheless. Luckily, none of it was brought up, and Nanaki simply went out of his way to offer Cloud some kind of herbal concoction to help clear his head a little more speedily, which was what he was digging around in his pocket for at that very moment in order to put it to good use.

The taste of the herbal root Nanaki gave to him was slightly bitter as he placed it in his mouth, but it was nothing to put up a fuss over and he painstakingly attempted to tough it out as he chewed on it slowly like he was instructed to do. But who the hell was he kidding?

The ass of a Dual Horn probably would have tasted better, and after letting out a subtle snort from the thought and staring off into space with an empty gaze, he found himself digging around in his pocket for the small packet of toothpicks he bought from Cosmo Canyon when he made his stop there. He didn't really know why he bought them though, and he didn't really know why it was the main reason he stopped there in the first place.

It was a stupid thing to do.

_Cosmo Spice, _the small packet read, and he wound up closing his eyes and bringing the packet to rest beneath his senses that would benefit most from it while he deeply inhaled the scent. It shouldn't have really mattered to him, and he told himself he only picked them up because he simply liked the smell.

It had nothing to do with anyone that may have chewed on them so much that they practically smelled and tasted like them all the time. No, that was in the past. There was no point in even allowing himself to go there if not for the sake of self-torture. He should have known better from the start anyway. Reno was never meant for him. He was meant for that sardonic, egotistical lunatic that called himself the _President_.

Oh well, after Nanaki pretty much confirmed that Reno really was dead that time around, Cloud actually found himself taking a sick sort of pleasure in the fact that Rufus never won the battle over that miserable piece of shit either.

But what a sweet little piece of shit he was. Despite all the lies he told, his double-crossing nature, outright abrasive temper, and obnoxious behaviour, there was actually something that made him seem worth it. Whatever it was though, Cloud didn't think he'd ever know. Not that it really mattered. After all, he only bought the damn toothpicks to take his mind off the stink from the prison that he couldn't seem to wash away from his mind.

Yes, that was the only reason he bought them…

And speaking of stink, maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea for him to take a shower and wash the prison away from himself as much as he could. Unfortunately, there were no damn towels in the bathroom for him to do so, because that would have simply made things a little too easy for the negatively-minded ex-Soldier.

_What kind of Inn doesn't leave supplies in the damn room?_ Well, Cloud knew the answer to that dumb question… it was the kind that existed in fucking Nibelheim. Why in the hell did he choose to come to that town of all the others anyway? There was nothing there but unpleasant memories everywhere he turned, and he didn't even know which half of them belonged to him and which half belonged to Zack.

Everywhere he turned, there was nothing but a reminder of the people he once knew that no longer existed. His mother, his friend's from Soldier, the families he knew… they were all gone… massacred, and just outside the door of the Inn there was that mammoth of a damned mansion that Hojo did his research in, and Hades, for all Cloud knew, the fucking experiment performed on him was probably done right there as well.

Of course, there was also unnecessarily clear view of Mt. Nibel as well. If Cloud recalled correctly, that was where Tifa's dad and Zack died by the hands of a man whose insanity began right in that very same reactor – Sephiroth. Then again, there was one more thing to add to the misfortune of Cloud's view of Mt. Nibel, and that was Reno.

_Gaia damn this place, _he thought as he felt like finding some way to make himself explode into utter nothingness. Unfortunately, he'd probably have to live on in the Lifestream if that were to happen, and the truth was that, Cloud simply didn't want to exist at all.

Then again, even the Lifestream wouldn't accept him and Aeris, the only woman that ever really made him feel good inside, sent him back to live out his worthless and goalless existence with nothing more than contempt toward everyone and everything he came across. But was that bitterness his though? Or was it Sephiroth's?

He might as well have just gone to the forgotten city and spent the night where Aeris was murdered.

_"I hear Wutai is quite nice this time of year."_

_Fucking Wutai… Why in Gaia's name would I wanna go to Wutai?_

But then again, why wouldn't he want to go Nibelheim?

Wutai was the furthest possible place away from everything, and it actually had pleasant weather all year around. Not to mention that Cloud had no memories to haunt his every waking state there. And as a bonus, it was probably as far away from Rufus as he was capable of getting, and that wouldn't have been a really bad thing in his mind.

Yeah, being as far away from Rufus was actually a good thing. That could have also been the main reason that arrogant bastard suggested it in the first place, considering the feeling between the two of them was fairly mutual. But Yuffi lived there, and Cloud didn't really like Yuffi, nor did he want to be anywhere near her after he more or less 'came out of the closet'. She'd probably find some way to irritate the high hell out of him over the matter.

But then again, wasn't Yuffi obsessed with Vincent?

The last time Cloud checked, she practically followed that man all over the world… everywhere he went. And whenever she lost sight of him, she always sought out Cid in Rocket Town until she re-located him again. Maybe she wouldn't even be there. It was quite possible that she was still chasing after Vincent, if not outright stalking the poor man. After all, from what Cloud could remember of the annoying little brat, she wasn't exactly what you'd call an easy person to detour.

_Wutai…_

Gaia how he hated Rufus at that moment, but then again…

He always hated him.

_I don't wanna go to Wutai._

But then, why was he making his way back into the room from the bathroom with no damn towels to collect his bags and do just that?

Well, it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he was allowing Rufus to manipulate him, yet again.

* * *

"Ah… Tjen Syn," Rufus greeted, as the Wutian diplomat entered his office and graciously accepted a welcoming shake to the hand, "I wasn't expecting you until later."

For some time, Rufus had been carrying out meetings with the representative for the Wutian Nation in hopes to repair the relations his father destroyed many years ago. It had become one of the most cumbersome tasks Rufus had ever taken on in many ways. But he had hopes to repair those relations and to open the trades between the two Nations with a genuine good will like in the days of his great grandfather.

In fact, he had even gone so far as to offer them aid in several incidences ever since Meteor hit, but his offers were constantly refused with a stubbornly iron will, making the task seem all that much more impossible. But with enough determination, which was something Rufus was fairly good at exercising, talks finally began between the two Nations and it took almost a year until after the underground Mako reactor incident to finally start making head-way with their representatives.

There were stipulations though. And among those stipulations, the leaders still refused to speak with anyone carrying the name of Shinra and only sent in their representatives to speak for them. Not to mention the one that Rufus found the most difficult to comply with, which involved Tseng.

Because Tseng was viewed as a traitor to Wutai, he was not allowed to be within certain proximity and was therefore banned from the building during such meetings. The Wutian leader's representative explained that there was a mild concern that Rufus' well-respected, first in command might have a negative effect on any desired progress. Tseng didn't seem to mind though, and although he never met the man, he respected their wishes and would often take it upon himself to leave before Rufus ever got the chance to say a word.

Of course, that made things much easier on Rufus, because in all honesty, he didn't really like treating his first in command as a criminal and found himself wondering more and more about what it was that Tseng must have done to warrant such a banishment from his own people, and to add to Rufus' confusion over the matter, he couldn't help but note his most respected Turk had always been impeccable in his duties and even carried out many of his native traditions to that day.

But then again, Tseng never really respected his banishment and took it upon himself to enter Wutai on several occasions, regardless of his banishment, and no one ever did or said anything to him or Shinra about it. It was something that always intrigued Rufus, and the present circumstances only seemed to add to the intrigue more.

Perhaps he could figure it out on his own if and when he found the time to do so.

"I saw the news about the latest misfortune to befall upon your Turks this morning," Tjen Syn responded, as he modestly lowered his head in a respectful condolence and brushed a black lock with a silvery band running through it behind his ear when it slid forward.

His hair was longer than Tseng's, and it almost ran towards the small of the man's back, and Rufus found himself noting how the texture and shine of it reminded him of black silk. It was something that he always found to be Tseng's most attractive feature as well. But the man's build was fairly different from Tseng's. He had a strong and built frame that put him a little on the stalky side, and it reminded Rufus of his father,

"Yes. The matter is under investigation as we speak," Rufus commented, before there was a light knock at the door from his secretary, causing Rufus to tend to the meek woman's interruption out of sheer curiosity. It was nothing really important though; she simply wanted to hand the Wutian a cup of tea that she must have offered to him before he entered the President's office.

Strange, Rufus thought to himself, there wasn't a Wutian alive that Rufus ever met who didn't like their tea except for Tseng, and Tseng would probably _swim_ in a pool full of coffee if you'd let him.

"Please… Tjen…" Rufus started, before he motioned to one of the seats in front of his desk and started to move toward his own, "Have a seat."

Then for a fairly gauged moment, Rufus collected his thoughts on how he was going to put forth his request without it sounding like an accusation while the Wutian tapped the ring around his baby finger on the base of the cup and sat down. Of course, that led Rufus to wonder if there was a person alive that worked under the roof of Shinra that knew how to put anything delicately, because he could sure as Hades use their aid right then and there.

Well, best not to waste too much time, he reminded himself. He might as well just ask the man for the help of his people by investigating their own. Not to mention, the outlawing of the Exit Materia also had to be laid out on the table as well.

After all, that Materia was illegal all over the rest of the planet and if they were going to join forces with Wutai, something would have to be worked out. Things went slightly more smoothly than Rufus expected though, and the Wutian appeared to be rather understanding and compassionate to the request. In fact, he even offered to lend some of his people to aid the Turks as an act of good will while he leaned forward and placed his hands over top of Rufus' that were folded in front of him on his desk.

A little uncomfortable with the action of the man opposite him, Rufus found himself pulling his hands away and placing them on his lap almost defensively, fighting the urge to threaten Tjen never to touch him again. But that would certainly go against everything he'd been working towards with the man, and it was really no big deal. After all, it was really nothing more than a simple act of condolence on the Wutian's part.

On the bright side though, it was also no secret that Rufus didn't like being touched, and the man opposite to him noted his mistake almost as immediately as Rufus reacted, and grabbed his cup again to tap his ring on it as he contemplated his action, "Forgive me, Rufus. I only meant to offer support."

"Perhaps I should be the one to apologise," Rufus admitted, and attempted an assuring smile that came out more tired than anything else. But it was taken to no offence and the Wutian simply commented on how he understood that the recent events must have taken their toll on everyone involved.

Then, as a matter to adjourn a meeting that took a little longer than he hoped for, Rufus was about to excuse himself when Tjen so graciously took it upon himself to do so first. As a result, Rufus decided to respectfully get up and escort the man to the entrance of the building while they continued with a small attempt to engage in a friendly conversation that ended with the Wutian suggesting that Rufus should come to visit Wutai once things settled down to a more moderate pace.

Rufus had no desire to ever go to Wutai without Tseng though, but he accepted the offer nonetheless.

After all, if progress was to be made, sacrifices would also have to come into play eventually too, and Rufus supposed he could always get Rude and Elena to escort him since Tseng was obviously out of the question.

* * *

_"You should leave it down… I like it like that." _

_"Yer kiddin me, right?" _

_"Absolutely not… it makes you look sexy." _

"You're unusually quiet this evening," the blonde commented, while Reno sat at the end of the table near the wall, watching the other man suspiciously. The blonde was right though, the redhead hadn't said anything more than what was required during their whole trip from Mt. Nibel. He was even docile and quiet during their dealings with the Wutians to pick up the Exit Materia they were sent to obtain.

He was so quiet and withdrawn that he didn't even start the usual raucous he generally had a tendency to start by his off-the-wall remarks during the exchange. Truth was, he wasn't really focussing on the task at hand like he normally did and wound up being unusually polite simply by keeping his mouth shut for a change.

The blonde saw no problem with that however, and found himself wishing he'd replaced the redhead's pills months ago. Of course, he couldn't have really done that, considering that the bastard of their Wutian boss was always present, and finally having Reno a good distance away from that man gave the blonde the perfect opportunity to start the ball rolling in the direction he'd most hoped for.

Everything was going so well according to plan that all that was left to do was simply hope everything Aldrich ever told him was correct. He knew the one-eyed redhead never lied to him about such things, especially when the unfeeling man discovered they both had the same agenda. But that was nothing to think about at that moment, nor was it anything to share with his withdrawn partner until he was positive the man sitting across from him remembered how much he hated the Wutian enough to want to kill him.

Any other memories the redhead gained as a side-effect would just have to be dealt with accordingly, and he was sure he could find a way to manipulate him enough to keep him on his side, if not have to drive him utterly insane as a result.

"Marcus," the redhead muttered, before he pulled his attention away from the surface of the table and noticed the blonde across from him was setting almost all of his attention on the young Wutian woman who was walking away after serving them their drinks.

She was the typical type the blonde often seemed to be attracted to; tiny, vulnerable, not too bright, and innocent looking. As a result, the redhead found himself cynically supposing the blonde liked that type because they didn't know any better and were easier to bait.

"What?"

"Ya sure that's yer real name?"

While eyeing the blonde across from him almost sceptically, he dug around in his pocket for another toothpick that he found himself oddly drawn to when they visited Cosmo Canyon on their way to Nibelheim. Then he thoughtfully chewed on it since he wasn't allowed to smoke in the moderately sized tavern, despite the fact that they had their own private section to dine in.

"Why wouldn't it be?" the blonde replied, unfazed by such an odd question, while returning his attention from the woman to the obviously confused ruffian sitting across from him.

"Dunno," the redhead mumbled with the toothpick between his teeth and his attention back to the table, "Jus don't fit."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about."

With not much more than a meek shrug, the redhead found his thoughts trailing off again and wondering why he was having such a hard time focusing. When he thought about it, he'd managed to keep himself fairly on track since he awoke in the Wutian's private villa with the man's private doctors. Everything he was told and shown left nothing for him to question, except for the fact that he simply didn't feel like he was as close to any of the people there as he was lead to believe he was.

Nothing really started confusing him to the point of utter uncertainty though, until Marcus came into the picture. The blonde seemed to have a knack for stirring things up and causing trouble without ever having to take the blame or the responsibility of his actions. In fact, he managed to double-cross nearly everyone he ever came across without ever really drawing any attention towards himself.

He was so underhanded in his nature that he always managed to successfully point the finger at someone else who almost always had to pay the most fatal of prices simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And on that thought, the redhead found himself wondering if his turn was closer at hand than he was aware of.

After all, didn't Marcus shoot the man standing beside him when they were trying to work a deal that was going sour with the weapons at the abandoned Mako Reactor? As a natural and defensive reaction, the redhead simply giggled and made a joke about the cost of the weapons not needing to be so high anymore before things got out of hand.

At the time though, Reno didn't give it much thought. But as he sat there contemplating the incident, he couldn't help but reflect on the fact that Marcus simply stood back and cast Barrier only on himself while doing nothing else afterwards, leaving the redhead in the open for the slaughter.

Yeah, the redhead definitely couldn't help but wonder exactly how close his turn was, and he wouldn't have been surprised if Marcus found some way to pass the blame in a way to make it all seem like Reno was the one who started it. Of course, Reno probably didn't need to make half of the snide remarks to help fuel that fire though. But with all of that aside, he couldn't really say that he liked the blonde very much, but then why…?

"Never mind," the redhead mumbled, unable to really bring up the energy to get into a conversation that he didn't really know how to discuss and picked up his drink to take a sip as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on, not only in his head, but in regards to the strange task they were sent on as well. It almost seemed to him like they were sent out to simply waste time.

But there was something else, something more under the surface of things, and perhaps he could think more clearly if it wasn't for the constant, dull throbbing in his head that started that morning.

As he sat there and watched the blonde merely raise his brow as if he really didn't care and wasn't even curious about what the redhead was getting at, he found himself studying the features of the man as he watched him turn his attention back to the girl who'd served them only moments ago.

Then he proceeded to tell him if he was that interested in the girl to go ahead. It wasn't like there was anything for the redhead to do other than go back to his room and confuse himself more while he tried to clear his head enough to fall asleep, and it wasn't like he really cared about what the blonde did either.

"I believe I'll pass," Marcus responded with a following sigh as he slumped lazily back into his chair. Then he turned his attention back to Reno with a wry smirk on his face and raised his brow while he confided that she was no good in bed anyway, "Plus, I'm not so sure leaving you alone tonight is such a good idea."

"Why's that?"

"You seem as if something is bothering you this evening."

With an uncertain shrug, the redhead ran his eyes over the blonde in a curious study over the fact that the name still didn't fit the face in his mind for some odd reason. Every single feature seemed familiar to him. The hair, the way it was cut, the colour… even his eyes and the strange, bitter darkness that hid behind them all seemed familiar and even on a certain and unexplainable level, his appearance elicited a strange sort of comfort to the redhead.

But it wasn't just the name; the personality didn't seem to fit him either. Not that Reno really knew what kind of personality or name the man opposite to him was supposed to have, but still… something was out of place.

_"Gaia… I want you to fuck me…" _

"I…" Pausing due to the fact that he really didn't know what it was he was going to say, Reno found himself searching for something he could say to finish the sentence without seeming like more of an odd-ball than he was sure he was already sounding like and wound up muttering, "think I'm gonna get some sleep," as quickly as he could. Then he simultaneously got up with very little regard over the fact that he'd barely touched his drink that had been sitting in front of him since they first entered the tavern.

"The night's still young."

Raising his brow in an almost strangely amused manner, Marcus insisted that Reno stay and tell him what was on his mind. "Something is obviously bothering you," he observed, as he outright refused to allow the redhead to leave and persuaded him to sit back down. Then after briefly turning his attention to the main part of the tavern which was in clear view but at a private enough distance, he leaned forward, confidingly over the table towards Reno while lowering his voice, "You might feel better if you talk about it."

"Don't really wanna," the redhead admitted, and finally picked up his glass for the second time since they'd been there.

"Very well," Marcus responded, and leaned back into his seat with another sigh while putting his hands behind his head in a manner of defeat and closed his eyes in a way to shake off his feigned confusion, "Go then."

"Ya ever?" _No. Never mind._ It was probably best not to ask. In fact, it was probably best if he did go.

"Ever what?"

Unfortunately, he'd managed to attract more of the blonde's attention than he wanted to and warranted himself a cocked-open eye with a quirked brow to compliment it. Yeah, as a matter of fact, he'd managed to awaken that damned blonde's curiosity, and from what little he'd managed to learn in the last five months, that curiosity was relentless.

And like a typical child's game, the battle to extract the information versus the battle to hide it started on its course while one urged the other to speak and the other made every attempt to hide the fact that they had anything to say or even anything on their mind at all to begin with. But sadly, it appeared as though the odds were in Marcus' favour when Reno finally gave into defeat and just sat there silently wondering if he could make himself pass out or something in order to avoid the question. Maybe some madman would come storming into the tavern and shoot him by accident…

Then again, he could always lie and make something up. Couldn't he?

But what?

Apparently, the redhead was discovering that he was having trouble lying to the blonde for some strange reason though, which was yet another mystery he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Ya ever get curious?" Reno finally asked, almost under his breath, and turned his attention back to the table in an embarrassed attempt to avoid the blonde's questioning gaze.

"All the time," the blonde innocently responded, not really appearing to have caught on to where the question was leading. After all, who the hell never got curious? Not to mention, the question was coming from someone with a broken trail of memories.

"No… I mean…" _Shit, _"Like… _curious_." _Don't fuckin make me spell it out fer ya, Man. Yer the one who wanted ta know what the fuck was on my mind._

Dumbfounded for a moment, the blonde merely seemed to be trying to break the cryptic code in which the redhead seemed to be using in place of what one would call 'clear speech' and tried to figure out what the hell he was asking when he suddenly went blank for a moment and leaned forward while looking down, ignoring the angry and frustrated glare he was receiving from those contemptuous green eyes.

"Ah," he mused when he appeared to realize what the other man was asking, and distantly admitted that, "I was once." Then he added in a lame attempt to clarify, "Curious."

Of course, he knew what the redhead was getting at. But he didn't feel the need to elaborate on the matter, and to be honest about _who_ it was that inspired him to contemplate such things would have been detrimental to his own cause. It wasn't like anything could have happened with that person anyway, and it was only a passing phase once he came to terms with the fact that it was probably nothing more than _curiosity _to begin with.

And in the end, he was rather thankful that he never had the opportunity to indulge in the matter. He knew how sadistically cruel Aldrich was when he let himself get attached to people; not just by what he admitted to, but also by what Marcus had observed as well. Not to mention, Marcus wasn't really sure that it was really _curiosity_ as much as it was fascination, and it was no secret to most people closest to their Wutian Boss that Reno and Rufus were… well… could one call it _curious_?

Well, if he had to play along then so be it, regardless of how he felt in regards to it. After all, the means to the end would by far outweigh any discrepancies… and those could always be overcome and swept under the rug at a later date.

Not that what he was contemplating was clear by any means. He just simply had a passing thought that if he had to… ensure that Reno played by his rules then he might just have to… play a little by his. Not that it would probably come to that though. It was obvious the redhead had a stronger taste for the females considering that he paid more attention to them than he did to men.

And of course, there was always the other thing set in place to jog his memory in the wrong direction, and hopefully it would be enough to stir it in a negative way at the same time.

Hopefully, Marcus wasn't getting in too far over his head with his latest little project.

But he was honestly getting fed up with waiting, and Aldrich admitting that he wanted Reno to kill him near the end and allowing him to do just that, not only set all of the blonde's plans back farther, it also left him feeling like he was more alone than he was to begin with; perhaps a little more angry and bitter too.

As if that one-eyed bastard wanting to die all the time without any regard as to how much Marcus looked up to him wasn't bad enough, he had to save the fucking life of the Gaiadamned parasite sitting across from him for whatever reason he couldn't make sense out of. All of that in turn, condemned Marcus from something that should have been his from the start, if not five fucking years ago.

"What happened?" Reno asked, cutting Marcus away from his thoughts that weren't really going anywhere anyway. He'd obviously been sitting there attentively the whole time awaiting an answer and finally gave up and asked.

Marcus didn't want to answer him though, and simply glanced in the direction of the tavern as if he was waiting for something and finally found what he was looking for. "I believe I'm going to make an attempt at round two," he said, when he noted a spiky-haired blonde walk up to the bar and order a drink.

Then he turned his attention back to Reno with a sudden glow in his eyes and an almost cynical grin that he made every attempt to make appear slyer than conniving, "Perhaps I'll see if she's improved since I was last here."

"The waitress?"

"Who else?" he asked, and cocked his brow before pulling his cloak up to cover his head to hide his appearance, almost as if he was rushing, "But first, I believe I'm going to indulge in a cigarette outside… care to join me?"

"Sure."

With a shrug, the redhead figured it wasn't such a bad idea and decided that he would, considering he'd been sitting there the whole time with a toothpick in his mouth while wishing it was a cigarette. So in an agreeable manner, he stood up and pulled his own cloak over his head to hide his appearance as well, because apparently, they weren't so well-liked by everyone in town and it was best to go about their business unnoticed.

While watching Reno pull his hood up, Marcus drank back the remainder of what he had left and then turned his attention to the glass in his hand while he contemplated something. "Actually, I need to relieve myself first," he said after letting out a gasp and turning to see the spiky-haired blonde take up a seat at the bar, "Would you mind getting me a re-fill?"

"I ain't yer fuckin servant."

_So much for his short-lived compliance,_ the blonde thought to himself and commented that he wouldn't be that long. "It won't kill you to just get a fu–" _Calm down…You're not going to get anywhere if you start an unnecessary fight with him, _"Would you _please_ get me another drink?"

"Heh… if yer gonna ask like that, then..."

"Look… There's no need to be an ass over the Gaiadamned matter, all I want is another fucking drink," Marcus informed, almost through his teeth as he set the glass roughly on the table and turned to leave for the men's room.

With a taken-aback snort, Reno raised his brow as the man walked away and then he muttered out, "Fuck yer moody," and because it was really no big deal, he drank back everything in his own glass and figured he'd get his own re-fill too… just so it wouldn't look like he was _only_ doing it for _Marcus._

* * *

Revised: August 19, 2010


	6. The Wrong Place at the Right Time

**The Wrong Place at the Right Time **

* * *

After a five hour trip by boat to the small tropical island where Wutai resided, Cloud found himself practically cursing in an unending stream as he wound up having to walk his bike to the village when the engine failed on him halfway there. He'd work on it the next day though. He decided he'd had enough bad luck that day that it was probably best to just leave it until later.

It wasn't like he had any grand plans to go anywhere particular anyway, and he was honestly too tired and drained, not really from the medication anymore, but just from the amount of travelling he'd done. Although, he was sure the medication had a lot to do with it, because under normal circumstances, he could have gone around the world in a day and still had the energy to put up a fight.

He was thankful that the herbs Nanaki gave him helped clear his head though. Unfortunately, he discovered that maybe his head was a little too clear, and he decided that he'd rather not be in that state. But a shower had to come first. It'd been a whole day by that time and it was almost over, and he _still_ hadn't had the opportunity to clean himself up.

Fortunately for Cloud, the Inn's at Wutai were much better kept and with a much friendlier disposition than in the dire town of Nibelheim and he found himself doing something he never really did in the past. He decided he'd indulge in the small comfort of a bath rather than a shower. After all he'd been through, he figured he deserved it.

However, he didn't want to enjoy himself too much. Considering it was Rufus who suggested Wutai in the first place, it kind of made Cloud not really want to admit that maybe he thought it was a good idea as well.

He didn't spend most of his days loathing that son of a voracious bastard simply to wind up agreeing with him in the end.

No, he'd have to convince himself it was his own choice to come to Wutai in the end and that it had nothing at all to do with anything anyone else had said. He decided to convince himself that he simply came for the friendly, yet unobtrusive atmosphere, and of course, the distance that it put between him and Rufus.

It didn't take him too long to suddenly crave for a little release though, and even though it was nice to finally have a clear head after five years of having the inability to think forced upon him, he suddenly realized that he didn't really want to have a clear head. This time was okay though… because it was _his _choice to numb his mind and not someone else's.

Plus, he much preferred the state of being drunk over the state of being drugged, and a little sake certainly couldn't hurt him any more than the drugs probably did.

Normally, Cloud would have simply bought himself a bottle to take to his room so he could drink alone. But for some reason, that time around, he decided he'd rather go to the Tavern near the entrance of Wutai, and due to a small amount of investigation when he first rented his room, he found out that Yuffi hadn't been to Wutai in years.

So, going out for a public drink didn't seem like that bad of an idea. And who knew? Maybe he could hook up with someone noncommittally for the night since he'd managed to keep himself _decent_ during his entire stay at Corel Prison. After all, five years was a long time…

Even for Cloud.

* * *

With another snort from the redhead after he finished his drink, he grabbed both glasses and made his way to the bar to order _Marcus_ and himself a refill. "I swear that bastard thinks I'm his fuckin servant," he grumbled under his breath, and placed his toothpick back in his mouth.

But if he was so unhappy about always having Marcus ordering him around, why the hell was he always letting him do it? On the other hand, it wasn't like he really cared about it either. It wasn't like it was really that big of a deal.

"Two more," he blurted out with a heavy rasp to his voice that never truly healed from something he had no recollection of as he basically slammed the empty glasses on the counter and gained the attention of the spiky-haired blonde sitting in the seat he was standing near. He paid it no mind though, and gaining attention wasn't exactly a new thing for him.

But it wasn't really the intensely blue-eyed male's attention that he wanted. What he wanted was the attention of the barmaid who seemed to be ignoring him as she tended to someone else first, and why the hell was he suddenly so irritated over the matter?

When the barmaid finally turned her annoyed attention to the cloaked redhead, she asked him to remind her what it was they were drinking, and as a result, he pulled the toothpick out of his mouth and lazily waved it at each glass in turn as he told her which was in each one, "Gin'n a scotch." Then he cynically chuckled and muttered under his breath, "Maybe a little poison fer the gin too."

_So much for coming to Wutai to forget about things_, Cloud thought to himself as the scent of the Cosmo spice wafted over to him and the raspy voice continued to catch his attention.

It wasn't so much the attitude and the sound of the cloaked man's voice though. While he found himself studying the man beside him as best as he could through the patterned mirror behind the bar, he couldn't help but notice the long wavy strand of crimson hair hanging out near the front, and the delicate bone-structure of the jaw and mouth, along with the slightly upturned nose, of the only parts of the face that Cloud could see.

It was obviously only a coincidence though, and a cruel one at that. After all, Reno was dead, not to mention, Reno's hair was also straight. But then again, he could have been straightening it; it wouldn't have been surprising, considering the amount of gel that man put in his hair.

"Heh… Why doncha take a fuckin picture, Man," the redhead said rather loudly, drawing a good amount of undesired attention while he smiled with a chilling similarity to one of Reno's crueller grins and nudged Cloud roughly on the shoulder after he must have noticed the Mako-enhanced blonde staring at him.

Then he leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice with a taunting and sultry cruelty to indulge in his own sick amusement to say, "It'll last ya longer," embarrassing the younger man sitting beside him.

Chuckling again at the way the blonde sunk his head into his shoulders, Reno grabbed the gin and spit in it before swirling it around to mix it up and then he grabbed his scotch and finished it off with one large gulp before letting out a loud and satisfied gasp. All the while, Marcus watched him from the shadows, smiling to himself and running his fingers caressingly over the armlet around his wrist.

_"Not only did his eyes change colour… He also became 'exceptionally' obnoxious… more so than he normally was." _

"Fuck it…" the redhead muttered to himself after the novelty of his short-lived amusement wore off. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes to take one out, leaving only one in the package, "I ain't fuckin waitin fer 'im ferever."

At that, he tossed the pack onto the counter in front of the ex-Soldier and snorted before snickering out, "No 'ard feelins, eh, Man?" and then Reno patted him roughly on the shoulder while muttering out, "Jus 'avin a little fun at yer expense." After which, he stuffed his cigarette into his mouth and lit it before completely leaving the tavern with a strange grin on his face.

_Perfect._ Marcus thought to himself as he stood back a little longer to watch Cloud pick up the pack of cigarettes and study the familiar brand in utter confusion. Without even knowing it, Reno had managed to do more than half the work required already. Not to mention that he even went one step further, and set himself up in a way that was sure to get even more of Cloud's attention than he already did. All it would take was for Cloud to reach into his pocket and…

"Fuck!" The ex-Soldier exclaimed when he decided it was time to get the hell out of there and pay for his drink. Only that time, he didn't care about the attention he awarded himself with, because that obnoxious son of a bitch just fucking played him.

"He took my wallet," he confessed with a lowered voice to the barmaid and wondered what the hell he was going to do. Naturally, he wanted to chase after the thieving vagrant and beat the crap out of him, but unfortunately, he couldn't leave the tavern without paying for his damned drink.

Smiling again, Marcus pulled his cloak farther over his face and quickly walked over to the counter with a roughly-paced limp and tossed some Gil in front of Cloud for his drink. "Been there myself," he said in a strange and gruff voice, completely not his own.

When all the ex-Soldier did was stare at him like he didn't know whether he should accept the help or not, Marcus waved his hand at the door and urged, "Well, what'r ya waitin for? I'd go after that sonuvabitch if I were you." Then he snickered and straightened himself up before turning to the barmaid after the ex-Soldier nodded in thanks and started for the door.

"So…" Marcus started, with his usual, smooth and pleasantly melodic tone, while he picked up his glass with a suddenly suave grin before he took a drink, fully aware of the fact that Reno had spit in it, and completely unconcerned about it, "When do you get off?"

"I have a break in ten minutes," the woman answered with an equally sly grin. Strangely enough though, she wasn't at all the type he had his attention on earlier.

"Perfect," he mused, while he pulled back his cloak slightly in order to lock his icy-blue eyes to hers with a slightly feral hunger. After all, he wasn't exactly looking to spend the whole night with someone; it was more or less a reward for having things go better than planned.

* * *

"I thought I might make you both dinner," Rufus said in a quiet tone, when Tseng and Elena entered his apartment to retire for the evening. He wasn't really sure what he was doing, but it just seemed like the right thing to do, even if it wasn't really all that much.

They'd spent the majority of their day going through the town and the outskirts, questioning nearly every single person they came across in hopes that someone might have seen or heard of something in relation to the disappearance of their daughter, but so far, they'd come up with nothing.

Being sympathetic to the toll it was taking on Elena, Tseng guided his emotionally withdrawn and exhausted wife to the sofa to take a seat where she wound up curling up beside Reno's jacket. However, seeing her that close to something of Reno's pulled sharply at something inside of Rufus' chest, but instead of reacting, he merely locked his shadowy eyes with Tseng's and then walked back into the kitchen as the other man followed him to see if he could help out.

With a bit of a frown at the two empty bottles of scotch sitting on the counter, Tseng wound up taking a good look at Rufus' form and sighed slightly. Rufus had always been thin, and he'd always had dark circles under his eyes from a lack of sleep, but he seemed thinner, despite the fact that he gained a great deal of strength, and he seemed… fragile.

"Have you eaten at all yourself?" Tseng asked him, and watched him avoid his questioning gaze.

"I had something earlier," Rufus answered, and grabbed two plates from the cupboard for both Tseng and Elena while avoiding Tseng's scepticism.

"Perhaps you should grab a plate for yourself," the slender Wutian suggested, and tactfully attempted to make it seem more like a passive request, "It might be nice to have a meal with all of us present."

"Not everyone is present."

Nodding at the recognition that he probably could have worded things a little better, Tseng took a careful glance at Elena who hadn't moved since she curled up, and then he took a step closer to Rufus to place his hand on his shoulder. "It's been a long time, Rufus," he said with a more paternal tone, the type he often used on the younger President when he was a boy as he tried to carefully gauge his words before he asked, "When was the last time you were with anyone?"

Snorting at the question, Rufus pulled his shoulder away and grabbed a serving platter to attempt to get their dinner ready. "I thought you'd know the answer to that," he responded, with a slight edge to his voice, and then he stood there and stared at the wall when he realized he'd forgotten to pick them up something to drink with their meal.

"Good Leviathan." Shaking his head, Tseng ran his eyes over the empty shell of a man before him and then proceeded to open the fridge to see what Rufus had to drink, "I think it's time for you to consider the fact that you may never see him again, Rufus."

"Don't open that!"

Suddenly startling the Slender Turk with his outburst, Rufus wound up barricading himself between both Tseng and the fridge in order to stop him from finding out that things might have been a little worse than they appeared on the surface and he went from cold to pleading in a heartbeat.

Somehow, the reaction only set off alarms in Tseng, and he suddenly wanted to know why Rufus felt it necessary to hide the contents of his fridge and sternly asked him, "Why?"

"There's nothing in there," Rufus lamely answered and avoided meeting Tseng's eyes.

"So, you react that way over nothing?" With a doubtful tone, Tseng studied the man before him in an almost dreadful question. "Leviathan…" he muttered, when he could no longer fight the urge to find out something he was certain he didn't want to find out, "Move out of the way, Rufus."

"No."

"Rufus," Tseng urged, and went to test the waters by lightly pushing Rufus aside, "Move."

Rufus didn't comply though, and instead, he responded by pushing Tseng back and staying his ground.

Consequently, Tseng wasn't one to back down easily and attempted to push Rufus out of the way quickly enough in hopes that speed would outweigh strength, and like two children, they wound up arguing rather loudly over the fridge and eliciting a concerned cry from Elena that sounded something like, "What the hell is goin on in there?" as she made her way into the kitchen to see what the hell two _apparently_ grown men were doing.

Normally, something like that never would have escalated to the state that it did between Rufus and Tseng, but with everyone being out of sorts over their own personal misfortunes, they both went a little overboard with the sudden threats toward one another.

Well, being slightly on the drained side, Elena shook her head at the two men that managed to push one another into the corner of the kitchen while they completely ignored her presence. That wasn't so odd though, whenever Rufus and Tseng got going at one another, they rarely ever paid mind to their surroundings, and she suddenly found herself unable to avoid entertaining the question that Reno once asked her.

_"Ya ever think that they… ya know?" _

For some odd reason, the thought actually brought a small smile to her face as she shook her head.

_Leave it to Reno to think of something like that_.

It hardly seemed likely though, and she brushed the thought away as she reached into the cupboard to grab herself a glass, and then she proceeded to open the fridge to see what Rufus had in there to drink.

The action was immediately regretted, and the fridge was immediately slammed shut by Elena as the glass fell to the floor and she exclaimed, "Oh, Gaia! It's covered in fur!" before she ran into the bathroom to throw up from the unpleasant and overpowering aroma that assaulted her senses.

At the same time, Rufus fell to the floor in a manner of defeat and placed his hands over his face while Tseng stood there in shock and covered his own face as well. "Leviathan…" he muttered as he stared at the fridge, "When was the last time you cleaned that out?"

"He saved my life," Rufus answered distantly, obviously not really present anymore as he stared ahead with a lack of focus, "He would have died for me."

The words spoken suddenly made Tseng realize that the problem ran deeper than just a broken heart and he let out a defeated sigh before compassionately attempting to console the younger man, "Rufus…"

"No…" Rufus interrupted with a shake to his head, still staring ahead, "I hated him, Tseng… for the longest time… I knew my father hired him with the original intention to kill me once he confirmed he could trust him enough to do so." Then he shook his head again when he remembered what Aldrich said to him five years ago, "I always knew, and I always hated him."

"Don't do this to yourself."

Not listening to Tseng's concern, Rufus snorted lightly and continued, "I hated him so much, but it wasn't really because I hated him… Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does," Tseng admitted with an uncomfortable nod, knowing that Rufus had always found Reno attractive, despite what he knew.

"He could never do it though... And in the end… he saved my life." With his brow cocked, he pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his arms across them while Tseng took it upon himself to come and sit beside the man in a manner to attempt to offer him comfort, "And there was nothing I could do to return the favour.

"I tried, Tseng," he informed, as he turned his attention to the older man sitting beside him, "I tried to help him and I failed."

"You didn't fail, Rufus."

"Yes, I did… He's dead…" Rufus trailed off with a slight bite to his bottom lip, not really sure if he was convinced by his own words, "He died… And I'm still here… My father was right."

"No he wasn't."

"He said I was nothing but a failure." With a nod to agree with his own words, he tapped his fingers on his knees, and then attempted to shake off the images of a past he didn't want to think about, "Is it right to just brush him aside and forget him? After everything he did for me?"

"Reno?" Nodding to confirm, Rufus reached into his pocket for a cigarette and commenced to light it while Tseng sighed with a slight disapproval.

"You don't have to forget him to move on, Rufus," Tseng answered, as he looked around the kitchen and waved the smoke out of his face, "And hanging on to him like a sacred shrine isn't going to make things any better either." Then the older man pushed himself from the floor as Elena returned with a slight embarrassment.

"Is everything all right?" she meekly asked, while she guiltily glanced at the fridge.

"It's fine," Tseng answered, "I think, tomorrow, I should assign someone to purchase Rufus a new fridge before we continue with our investigations." Then in Rufus' defence, he simply explained, "It appears as though this one is broken."

Nodding, and knowing full-well that it wasn't the fridge that was broken, she simply glanced at Rufus who seemed to be somewhere deep in thought, and commenced to continue with where the two men left off from serving dinner.

* * *

"YOU!" Cloud yelled with his finger pointing in the direction of the cloaked asshole who just stole his wallet, as he stormed angrily out of the tavern like he was on a mission to kill someone.

As far as he was concerned there wasn't _possibly_ anything that could have gone more wrong that day, and he wasn't about to let some low-life piece of scum be the one to add the finishing touch to a day that was already amounting to nothing more than shit.

"Shit!" exclaimed Reno, and then he nervously tossed his cigarette on the ground before choking on his own saliva out of surprise. He honestly wasn't expecting the gullible looking blonde to catch on to him so quickly. And man, did he ever look pissed.

Not to mention, the shorter man didn't exactly look like the wimpy type, and with a quick sizing-up of the man opposite him, the redhead came to the conclusion that there was no way in Hades domain he could stand a chance against him if he managed to catch him.

Of course, that simply meant that the blonde would _have _to catch him. Because there was no way on that planet, or any other, that he was going to just stand there and let some angry, confrontational maniac beat the crap out of him over a simple mistake that anyone could have made. _Yeah, right…_

_Anyone_ could have made _that _mistake.

"Heh… 'sup, Man," he asked with a nervous chuckle, while taking a step back and wondering how in the hell the other man got out of the tavern without paying for his tab, "You, uh… look a little angry."

"You stole my wallet," Cloud responded with fiery eyes and took a threatening step forward. He may not have been up to his usual strength, but given the gangly frame of the cloaked vagrant in front of him, he was sure he could take him on without a hitch.

"Heh…"

Continuing to step further back, Reno wound up scratching at the back of his neck without revealing any more of his face than what was already showing and eliciting a confused look from his potential attacker. Not too concerned with that though, the redhead took the opportunity to take that as his chance to make a run for it. And that's exactly what he did.

It was dark enough out, and Reno figured he could lose the angry blonde who unfortunately wasted no time in following in pursuit of the thieving trouble-maker. And much to the wiry redhead's dismay, the blonde moved with an unexpected speed, making him wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into and why.

_What the fuck was I thinkin_, he thought to himself as he ran like the wind toward the Mountains of Wutai in hopes that he could lose the other man in the caverns. It wasn't like he really needed the money and he didn't normally steal people's wallets either. But for some weird reason, he took to the talent rather naturally.

He never made it as far as he wanted to though, and he wound up letting out a surprised screech when he was pushed roughly forward to the ground.

"Get the… _fuck_ off me!" he shouted when he tried to break away from the blonde's mangling grasp from behind, and pulled his hood back so he could see better before he reached down for a strong branch to hit the blonde with in order to break free and run again.

Then in hopes that he could appease his attacker and get him to back off, he dug around for the wallet he stole as he continued to run and jump over small obstacles and tossed it behind him. "I was jus fuckin playin with ya, Man," he shouted behind him in hopes to gain some slack when he hit a dead end and yelled out, "FUCK!"

"You have a strange way of playing with people," Cloud angrily commented while the redhead studied the mountainous wall in front of him in a panic and Cloud quickly knelt down without taking his eyes off the back of the thief's head as he re-collected the only source of Gil he had, "I take it you don't have a lot of friends."

"Heh…" the redhead panted from a shortness of breath and scratched at the back of his neck while wondering if the wall was climbable, "Not really."

"What a surprise."

"So, ya think ya might let me go now?" he playfully asked in a form of defence, and turned around to face an unwanted beating when he came to terms with the fact that he was screwed and had nowhere else to go. He still had the branch though, and he was willing to use it as a means of defence if it had to come to that. Not to mention, there was something very 'natural'-feeling about hanging onto it.

"Why should I?" the blonde muttered out while he checked to make sure all his Gil was still there, and then he stopped dead the moment he looked up and saw the other man's face in the dull lighting of the evening sky.

"What?" Suddenly not comfortable with the way the blonde was staring at him, the redhead backed up until he was stopped by the wall, thinking that he might have just sealed his fate.

_A clone?_ Cloud thought to himself, and simply stood there staring at the other man's face. _But clones are duplicated at a DNA level, scars don't get passed on._ Then he remembered Rufus suggesting Wutai and wondered what the fuck was going on.

_A setup?_

"You son of a bitch!" Cloud yelled at him, suddenly angrier than he was to begin with. Then he stuck his wallet in his pocket as he contemplated beating the man in front of him into the ground. Whatever Rufus was up to, this sure as hell wasn't fucking funny.

"Huh?"

"Fuck you, Reno," Cloud angrily said, "You can tell Rufus that whatever sick game he's playing, he can forget about it!" Then he lunged forward and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt.

"What?"

_Reno?_

_"I'm never letting you forget, Reno!" _

"What did you just call me?"

Dumbfounded, the redhead simply stared at the blonde's intense Mako-blue eyes in utter confusion.

_Who the hell are you?_ was all he could think and completely lost all will to struggle with the man who was threateningly hanging onto him. But the silence coming from the other man who was doing nothing more than staring at him in his own sense of confusion that was riddled with uncertain anger, made the redhead unsure of whether he really wanted to know the answer to that.

Not to mention, it was somewhat agonising as well, because he didn't know exactly where things were going all of the sudden. Was this someone he'd screwed over in the past? And who the hell was Rufus?

"Wh-who's Rufus?"

Something was obviously wrong, Cloud contemplated.

The redhead didn't look like he was playing with him. That tell-tale defiance he always carried was nowhere to be seen and he appeared genuine in his confusion. But Cloud wasn't about to be played for a fool again, and it was quite possible that what he'd managed to run into was nothing more than a clone that someone managed to cut up so it was a perfect replica, despite the fact that the scars were obviously old.

However, whoever or whatever Cloud managed to corner, appeared to have no knowledge in regards to who Rufus was. Was that why Rufus wanted Cloud to go to Wutai? Did he hear about someone bearing a similarity to Reno? Well, the blonde wasn't about to let himself be used as a tool again, and he wasn't going to allow himself to completely believe that the man in front of him was as innocent as he was appearing to be either. His judgement had been wrong before.

"Everyone knows who Rufus is," the blonde said in disgust and let go of the man's shirt. _To hell with it_. If someone's made a clone of Reno to get back at Shinra, Cloud wasn't going to bother getting involved. That malevolent empire could crumble to the ground as far as Cloud was concerned.

"Wait!" the redhead called as the blonde started walking away from him. Then he dropped the stick and started running after him, "Y-ya called me somethin…"

"I called you ' Reno'," he coldly answered without turning around and continued to walk away from him, taking note that if it was a clone he'd encountered that it was odd he didn't know his own name. Wouldn't that be the first thing whoever made him would want him to know? Then out of sheer curiosity, he stopped and turned around as the redhead bumped into him, not anticipating the sudden halt, "Why?"

"I've heard that name before."

"No shit," Cloud said, and looked the redhead over in question before he started walking away again, "Could it have something to do with the fact that it's your name?"

"Heh… I thought my name was Renault," he answered, and continued to follow the blonde like an annoying lost pup.

"It is… was," Cloud answered with a shake to his head. At least that was what he learned from Vincent after he thought Reno died at the underground Mako reactor.

"Is? Was?" Reno repeated, as he continued to follow the blonde who seemed to be growing more annoyed, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It _means_ that it _was_ your name."

Quickening his pace in hopes that the redhead would take the hint and leave him alone, he was about to tell the man to take off when he heard a slight buzzing and stopped unexpectedly before he pushed the unsuspecting redhead to the ground.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"Stay down," Cloud warned him, while simultaneously pulling out an insanely-sized sword as Reno watched with widened eyes.

"Heh… ya tryin ta compensate fer somethin?" he asked as a joke to alleviate the fear that the blonde was going to kill him with that thing.

"Shut up."

Snorting slightly at the thought of how the man following him definitely spoke like Reno, Cloud's attention turned to the skies as he stood with a readied stance, attentively waiting for something.

Confused over what the hell was going on, the redhead suddenly froze when he heard a strange clicking sound behind him while the blonde looked like he was expecting something in the opposite direction.

_Fuck._ Reno thought to himself and reluctantly turned around to see a large, golden-yellow, insect-type creature moving up to him. "What the fuck is that?" he screeched and simultaneously reached for his gun, "It's almost the same fuckin size as me!"

"You're exaggerating… It's a Bizarre Bug," Cloud informed without turning, "Another one of Hojo's mistakes."

"Who's Hojo?" he shakily asked, as he stepped back carefully and bumped into Cloud's back.

"Someone you should be glad you don't know about."

"Heh… So I never met this guy?" With his gun pointed at the oversized bug-like creature closing its distance, Reno cursed under his breath as he saw two more of them come from the sky and lost his balance when Cloud lunged forward to attack the three that were coming in on his own side.

"I wouldn't know," Cloud answered in a rush as he attacked the three in the air and Reno started shooting at the one in front of him, "Reno knew who he was."

"Thought ya said _I _was Reno."

"Renault was Reno."

"I _am_ Renault!" Reno yelled over the gunfire and cursed as he was attacked with the creature's toxic power when he attempted to reload a new cartridge into his gun, causing him to lose focus as an uncontrollable numbness started to take over his body.

"Take a potion!"

"Don't have any!"

"What kind of idiot runs out into the middle of nowhere without any potions?"

"One that was running from you!"

"Whatever!" Cloud exclaimed with a shake to his head as he swung at the creatures with his sword in one hand and pulled a potion out of his pocket with the other to toss behind him, "You shouldn't have taken my wallet then. Drink that!"

"What is it?"

"A potion!" he angrily answered, and manoeuvred to hang onto his sword with both hands again for better control.

"How the fuck am I supposed to drink that with these fuckin things comin at me like a fuckin swarm!"

"You've done it before!"

"I have?"

"I dunno," Cloud admitted suddenly as he thought about it, "Maybe."

"Fuck yer a pleasant one, aren't ya?" the Turk grumbled as he continued to fire while reaching down to grab the small vial and remove the seal with his teeth. Then just as he was about to swallow, he was grabbed roughly from behind when more of those strange 'Bizarre Bugs' came swarming out of nowhere.

"There's too many!" came the rushed explanation from the Blonde as he hurriedly dragged Reno to the closest cave he could find in hopes that the creatures would stay outside. Then, as he pushed the redhead to the farthest wall, he looked around quickly to find something he could obstruct the entrance with.

"They've bred over the years," he muttered once the entrance was sealed to his liking.

"You, uh… do this kind'a thing all the time?" the redhead shakily asked with struggled breaths, as the effects of the toxic power started to kick into full gear, numbing him to the point to where he almost couldn't move.

"No," the blonde coldly answered, before he took one more look over the impossibly large boulder he managed to move. Then he dug into his pocket and knelt in front of the redhead to help him drink what was in the vial.

"Really," Reno muttered, while the blonde smiled subtly at him suddenly, almost nostalgically of having tended to the redhead before, "Ya… kind'a looked… like ya knew what ya were doin."

"There was a time…" the blonde trailed off as he wiped at Reno's numb mouth where some of the potion ran out.

"So I take it… I know ya… er… somethin…"

"Don't fall asleep," was the only response the softening blonde gave, uncertain as to whether he should answer the question or not.

"Easy fer… ya… ta say…" Reno commented with a weak play at his typically charming smile, "Yer not… the one that… was sprayed… in the face…"

"To be honest, I'm surprised that happened."

"Why's that?" the redhead trailed off and almost allowed himself to fall into a slumber before he was smacked hard in the face in an attempt to keep him conscious.

"I told you not to fall asleep," Cloud warned him, and then he shifted himself to sit beside the frail looking redhead who started shivering.

"So… We friend's?"

"No."

"I owe ya money?"

"Not anymore."

"Great… Enemies?"

"No."

"We must be somethin… Ya seem ta know me."

"We're nothing," Cloud bitterly answered, and pulled Reno into his arms to try and help warm him up. "I'm not even sure that you're real," He admitted.

"M'right here, Man… How could I not be?"

"Don't fall asleep," Cloud warned again, sternly.

He wasn't about to allow himself to be fully convinced that the redhead was nothing more than a clone. But Gaia… A clone would have known more than the man he was holding in his arms did.

* * *

Revised: August 19, 2010


	7. Uncertain Certainty

**Uncertain Certainty**

* * *

Nearly half an hour had passed before the potion Cloud gave to Reno appeared to be kicking in, and the redhead seemed to be warming up somewhat as the numbness from the toxic power continued to wear off at a satisfying rate to the Mako-enhanced blonde.

"Are you feeling any better?" Cloud finally asked him while he mindlessly stroked the knotted strands of hair that didn't seem to be bothering his strange companion.

"Mm…" the redhead mumbled, and then he stirred slightly and commented that he was, "Tired."

With an understanding nod, Cloud reminded him that it was still too dangerous for him to fall asleep, and then he asked him if he'd be all right on his own for a few minutes while he went to see if he could find a source of water in the cave.

"It might help clear you up a little faster," he explained as he reached into the redhead's breast pocket where he suspected a flask might be, and got up once it was confirmed while stuffing it in the back pocket of his pants.

"I'll come with ya," the redhead offered, and tried to shakily push himself up before Cloud gently guided him back down.

"I don't think you should," Cloud informed while he mused over the fact that the man practically reminded him of a stray that he simply couldn't get rid of. "Just… Rest," he hesitantly said, with his hand in a 'sit' position, hoping it would be enough to get the redhead to listen and conserve his energy. Of course, Cloud probably should have been doing the same, but he couldn't exactly just sit there and wait to see what was going to happen next, "And stay awake."

Nodding to ensure himself that it would be fine to leave the redhead on his own for a bit, he took it upon himself to move farther back into the cave, avoiding the lower levels as towards a dripping sound that he hoped was a drinkable water source.

The cave was too dark for an ordinary person to navigate carefully through without an artificial source of light. But like most people with Mako-enhancements, Cloud had no trouble seeing in the dark and it was almost no different than walking through a trail in the dusky sunlight.

When he finally found the source of water he suspected he'd find, and tested it himself first, he emptied the flask on the ground and started filling it with the liquid while wondering how he could find some form of confirmation over his suspicions of the puzzling redhead.

As a result, he found that he'd managed to unconsciously wrap his other hand around his PHS and wound up closing his eyes. There was only one person he knew of that ever seemed to know more than anybody else. But he hadn't spoken to anyone for so long and he wasn't even sure if he really wanted to.

To top it off, did he really want to ask?

After all, it seemed easier to just believe the man he'd found was nothing more than a clone. But even then, what would he do if it was confirmed? Could he just leave the man to whatever seemingly dangerous scheme he could be a part of and go on with his life? Would that have been fair? How would things have gone for himself if his friends had done the same to him?

All Cloud could do was shake his head over the confusion of the matter as he stopped to lean against the rough stone wall while trying to figure out what he was going to do.

* * *

"Vincent," Tseng greeted when the red-cloaked marksman entered his office around the hour of midnight. Without a word, the man simply stopped and noted that they were the only two in the room and lifted his penetrating eyes curiously towards the slender Wutian. "I'm sorry to have called you in at this hour," Tseng apologised, after clearing his throat and motioning to a seat in front of his desk that was silently refused.

Nodding his head in understanding, Tseng clasped his hands behind his back to avoid the social awkwardness between the two of them and stared at the floor for a moment with his brow quirked, "I suppose you're wondering why I asked to see you."

"Allysia," Vincent answered with no question in his tone, "You're hoping I might know something."

"Yes," Tseng admitted with a nod, and turned his attention reluctantly to his ex-partner, "I thought that if anyone would know anything –"

"I'd be the one to ask."

"Yes."

"No one is talking.," Vincent informed him, suggesting that he'd already taken it upon himself to help out.

"I see," Tseng said with an inability to hide his disappointment, "The last time we ever dealt with anything of such a secretive nature was when we dealt with –"

"That was a long time ago," Vincent interrupted, still unmoving and giving no clue as to what he might have been thinking.

"Yes, and to our knowledge, he was killed."

"It's possible he wasn't."

Letting out a sarcastic snort, Tseng moved to sit on the edge of his desk while musing, "We could be in a lot more trouble than we thought if that's the case."

"It would explain why you're being taken out of the picture."

"You think that's what's going on?" Tseng asked, with an almost pleading tone as he met the ex-Turks blood-toned eyes again, "You think I'm being taken out of the picture?"

"You're the only one left that knows anything of that incident."

"Not exactly," Tseng reminded the pale-skinned man standing across from him. "But perhaps you're right," he admitted, and pushed himself from his desk to stand at his window and looked out over the growing city, "I'm probably the only one that –"

"Matters."

Nodding in agreement, Tseng let out an anxious sigh and hoped there was no substance to what the two men were privately discussing, "Do you think he's still alive too?"

"Ten-ji?"

Snorting, Tseng looked down and then turned back towards the ex-Turk, "If he's still around and has managed to keep that boy alive along with him…"

"You have my condolences, Tseng," Vincent said, before burying the lower half of his face farther into his mantle. Then he turned to leave the Turk who was more distraught than he was to begin with.

* * *

He could have been more compassionate, Vincent thought to himself, as he hit the button for the elevator and entered when it arrived. After all, if Tseng's misfortune had anything to do with what happened when they first entered the Turks, then it wasn't just Shinra that was in trouble. It was everyone, and if the enemy never killed the baby they kept…

Distracted by the sound of his PHS ringing, Vincent pulled it out and looked at the number curiously for a moment. _Cloud?_ No one had heard from that boy for almost five years. Vincent knew why though; there was very little he ever missed.

But he never did or said anything about it. In fact, he never even went to visit the younger man once during the entire time he was imprisoned, being the type that he was. It had nothing to do with dislike or thinking Cloud deserved what he got though, it simply had to do with a strange sort of respect. But he must have missed something, because there was no way Cloud could have been calling him from the prison – it wasn't allowed.

Suddenly cautious, Vincent hit the stop button on the elevator and answered the phone to a tired and anxiously whispering voice on the other end.

"Vincent?"

"Cloud."

"Look… I'm sorry to call you so late."

"…"

_So late?_

Vincent couldn't help but find a little irony in the comment, considering it'd been years since he'd heard from the other man.

"But… I'm… I… I don't know how to ask this…"

"Just say it."

"It's about Reno…"

"What about him?"

"I figured you might know."

"Know what?"

"If he's al–… No… How…? Yeah… How did he die?"

Lifting his eyes to the numbers on the elevator, Vincent wondered why Cloud would suddenly call him after so many years after supposedly getting out of prison, or worse, breaking out, simply to ask him about Reno. Not to mention, Vincent didn't doubt for a second that Cloud was actually asking if Reno was still alive.

But why?

"An explosion," he sombrely answered.

"Were there any remains?"

"Yes."

"Was there an autopsy?"

"Tests," Vincent answered, slightly curious about the questions, but not saying too much in hopes that the commonly confused blonde would elaborate a little more.

"Hm… What were the results?"

"The DNA was a direct match," the ex-Turk responded, and then to attempt to make light of Cloud's questions, he figured he'd offer a little more information in hopes that he could gain a little in return, "But the Mako and Jenova strains were a wrong match."

"So… He might still be… It wasn't him?"

"That's what some believe," Vincent offered cautiously. If by some strange act of fate, Cloud had discovered something leading to the possibility of Reno still being alive, it was highly possible that he wouldn't elaborate out of sheer spite towards Rufus.

"Thanks," Cloud said with a suspiciously hushed voice, and then he simply added, "Was just curious," before he hung up without saying anything further.

_Curious_, Vincent thought, and cancelled the floor he'd originally selected to go back up to Tseng's office.

* * *

_What the hell am I doing?_ Cloud thought to himself when he put the PHS back in his pocket. For a while, he just stood there and stared off into space. If only he could still hear Aeris' voice, she could have probably offered him some kind of advice like, "Stay away from him, Cloud," or "He deserves to know who he is," or something along the lines of, "Don't try to hide him from Shinra".

But she'd been silent ever since the Geostigma was washed away. So, it was a little hard to say exactly what advice she would have given.

_Gaia…_

He knew better than that. As much as he hated Rufus, Reno had every right to know who he was. But first, he'd have to feel things out and make sure that it really was Reno.

"You've lost weight," he quietly muttered as he found himself back in the main area where Reno was sitting and awkwardly scratching at himself – a common side-effect from the toxic power as it left the system.

But losing weight wasn't the only thing that had changed in the redhead, his hair fell more naturally, loosely over his shoulders and in front of his face, and almost halfway down his back. It wasn't as long as it was before and it seemed fuller, possibly due to the fact that it wasn't so straight and cut in haphazard spiky layers around the head like he used to have it.

Cloud couldn't help but find that it made him seem a little more delicate than he already was, vulnerable even. It made his entire appearance seem softer and less threatening. Even his personality, despite the wise-cracks, seemed less abrasive. But that was understandable, given the situation he was in.

_Give it time, _Cloud sceptically reminded himself as he continued to look the redhead over, _All he has to do is remember one or two wrong things and…_

"Been in stasis," the redhead answered, and stood up to scratch his back agonizingly on the rock wall behind him, "Apparently."

Nodding at the fact that the man knew at least that much about himself, Cloud decided he'd play stupid and ask, "For how long?"

"Dunno."

With a shrug, the redhead started grimacing as the itch became more intense. "Years… Gaia…" he whined, and slumped to his knees with his arms crossed in front of him to scratch at both his shoulders and arms simultaneously and growling out in frustration through gritted teeth, "Feels like there's fuckin bugs crawlin all over me."

"It's common," Cloud informed, and walked over to him with the water, "You should drink this, it'll help flush the toxins out faster." Then he pulled the redhead over to him to try and keep him from scratching too much.

"Ya have any idea what the fuck this feels like?" Reno asked, like he was accusing Cloud of not knowing and blaming him for it at the same time while he tensely grabbed the flask to greedily gulp from it in hopes that the seemingly reclusive blonde was right.

"Yeah," Cloud answered, and waited for Reno to finish drinking the water before grabbing the man's wrists to pin them to his chest in order to keep him immobile. "That's how I know scratching only makes it worse," he informed him as he pulled the man farther into his chest to try and restrict him as much as he could and to keep him from trying to rub himself against anything, including himself.

"So, tell me…" Cloud started, in an attempt to not only piece some of the puzzle together but also to keep the redhead's mind occupied as much as he could, "Why were you in stasis?"

"Thought ya knew me," the struggling redhead cried, frustrated over the fact that he couldn't scratch the agony away.

"I've been away for awhile," Cloud distantly answered, while pressing his cheek to the top of the other man's head and stared off into space.

"Gah… Where?"

"Prison."

"Oh, great… That's just great," the redhead commented while squirming uncontrollably, "Yer someone I screwed over, aren't ya?"

"At times," Cloud admitted. But that was neither here nor there. After all, he honestly didn't think anyone was capable of ever topping Hojo or Sephiroth, "I believe we're even though."

"Why's that?"

After giving the answer a bit of thought, Cloud didn't think telling the man he'd near-fatally stabbed him twice and beaten him into a submissive stance to get him out of the way on several occasions was really that good of an idea, so he figured it was best to skip that part.

In fact, it was probably just better to wait until Reno remembered that on his own. So he simply shrugged and held onto the delicate-looking male a little more firmly while wrapping his legs around the other man's legs to keep him as still as possible, "We just are."

"Nnng… I think I was sick," the redhead confessed, while trying to pull his hands away from the strong grip he was in, "I think that's why I was in sta-heh-he-sis… Gaia, jus lemme fuckin scratch."

Feeling somewhat sympathetic to the man, Cloud wrapped more of himself around the redhead, knowing that the pressure against his hold would help a little, "You… _think_?"

"Yeah… They told me I was in an accident… That's why I can't remember nothin… But I think there's more."

"They…? What kind of accident?"

"The people who found me," Reno answered, not really willing to say too much just in case the blonde wasn't on the same side as him. He couldn't help but get mixed signals, and he wasn't too sure about what he should have been telling him. But he found himself telling him more than he intended to out of a weird sense of trust and possibly even a hope for some kind of confirmation, nonetheless.

"Said somethin 'bout Shinra bein responsible. Somethin 'bout my… f-friend bein m-murdered by a… Turk… nnn… I… would'a died too, if he did'n s-save my l-life. Gaia…! Jus lemme fuckin scratch…! Jus a little… Gah-d… pleeheeheease… This is so fuckin _unbearable_!"

Despite the fact that Cloud was smiling a little at how Reno still managed to overreact like a child over the smallest things, he couldn't help but be a little concerned over what the redhead was innocently telling him. Someone was obviously pulling a dangerous number on him and he suddenly found himself wanting to steal Reno away from it all.

But did he want to tell him anything just yet? He still wasn't really sure if maybe he was part of the game as well. And maybe it wouldn't hurt if he just stayed back on the sidelines and watched for a while. After all, he could always jump in to protect Reno if anything got out of hand, "How much do you remember?"

"Dunno… pieces… mostly things," the redhead replied, seeming to calm down a little as the toxins were slightly wearing off, "S'funny, I can recall things from when I was a kid, but as it goes on, things get hazier… n'more unclear… Ah! fer fuck's sake!"

"What now?"

"I'm fuckin itchy, Man!"

With a sigh, Cloud pulled both of Reno's wrists together so he could hang on to them with only one hand in order to pick the flask up from the ground with the other. "Hang on," he muttered, and placed the flask between the soles of his shoes as he moved them towards the top of Reno's knees so he could unscrew the cap.

"Yer-uh… pretty flexible," Reno observed with a bit of a chuckle. In all honesty, he kind of imagined the guy to be a little stiff, given his build and strength.

"I have to be," Cloud mumbled, and rubbed his cheek against Reno's to get at a scratch of his own while bringing the flask to the guy's mouth.

"Why's that?"

"Anyone that worked for Sh –"

Shaking his head suddenly, he thought better of what he almost said and had to think quickly of how he was going to cover up the fact that he almost said Shinra after Reno just told him Shinra was responsible for the state he was in now.

"Well… I was a bouncer at a bar," he told him honestly, since that was pretty much what he did at the Seventh Heaven, "And to keep myself in one piece, I had to learn how to avoid being hit."

"Heh… So that must be how I know ya… huh?" Chuckling lightly, the redhead leaned his head back onto Cloud's shoulder to playfully look up at him, "Ya've had ta kick me out one too many times?"

"On occasion," Cloud admitted with a barely noticeable smile at Reno's child-like behaviour, "But you weren't as bad as some others."

"Really? Would'a thought maybe ya'd banned me or somethin."

"No," Cloud answered as his smile quickly faded away, and then he rested his chin tiredly on the redhead's shoulder while staring off into space a little sadly, "You stopped coming around on your own."

"Why's that?"

"Tell me more about what you remember. What did you mean by unclear?"

With a bit of a sigh, Cloud hoped he could change the subject, not just because he didn't want to talk about it though – it was more because he wasn't really sure if he should say anything in regards to what happened. The redhead seemed comfortable with him, and he didn't want to shock him into remembering something he might not have been ready for.

"Like I said… it's jus… unclear…"

Shrugging with what little movement the blonde allowed him, he continued to say that he could remember certain instances. But it was like a dream, and the names and faces were hazy; he simply couldn't make them out. He also found certain places familiar, like the village they were in, even more so than people, and then he trailed off for a while and just went blank for a long moment when the itch finally wore off to a more bearable state after the blonde closed his eyes and appeared to have fallen asleep.

"It's Cloud… is'n it?" the redhead quietly asked, and turned to look at the non-responding blonde with his head back to study his profile before confidently confirming it to himself, "That's yer name."

* * *

"Vince!" Tseng exclaimed, with a slight surprise when he opened his office door to leave and the mysterious ex-Turk was standing right there.

"We need to talk," Vincent said, and grabbed Tseng's arm to walk him back into his office.

"Why? What's going on?" the surprised Turk asked as he was practically rushed forcefully back into his office while the pale man took a careful look around Tseng's office to ensure they were completely alone, "Vince? What are you doing?" he asked as he followed him closely with an uncomfortable curiosity.

"Are we completely alone?"

"Yes," Tseng answered with confusion, "Why wouldn't we be?"

"What about microphones… cameras…" Vincent asked as he opened the bathroom door and inspected the cracks.

"Just our surveillance."

Still confused, the Turk simply stood there and watched the unusually concerned gunfighter continue to inspect every crack and corner that he came across. "But given recent events, it's possible there might be more," he added, suddenly wondering why Vincent was so concerned about that when he wasn't earlier, "But we can't seem to find any…"

Then suddenly taken aback by the way the ex-Turk turned to him and grabbed him by the shoulders to hold him still and peer quietly into his eyes like he was contemplating something important, Tseng found himself completely speechless.

"I need you to put a trace on where this number last called from," Vincent finally said after a quiet moment of study, and he let go of the baffled Turk to pull out his phone to show it to Tseng.

"What?" Even more surprised than he initially was, Tseng simply stood there and stared at the number and the name above it in utter confusion, "But Cloud's in Pr –"

Shaking his head at the Turk, Vincent informed him that he just received a suspicious call from him. Then he continued to voice his concern that Cloud might not be willing to be completely open about his possible findings.

"You know how he feels about Shinra," Vincent reminded before adding, "And I wouldn't be surprised if he'd keep something like this from Rufus just out of spite."

"Keep what from Rufus?"

"Reno," Vincent informed with a lowered voice.

"You think he found him?" Tseng asked in an equally lowered voice. Despite the fact that he was willing to accept the possibility that Reno might be dead, Tseng never was fully convinced. But he wasn't willing to tell Rufus that he'd been looking into it the whole time… just in case, and that he'd been working with Rude and Vincent on the matter in private since he knew the ex-Turk had his own desire to seek him out, "But then that would mean…"

Nodding in agreement, Vincent took his phone back from the Turk and placed it back in his pocket, "There's only two ways he could have gotten out."

"Rufus disappeared this morning," Tseng mused, and sat on the edge of his desk with a sudden loss of strength, "Do you think Rufus found something out?"

"No," Vincent assuredly answered, and informed Tseng of something else the Turk never knew about, "Rufus went to the bank this morning. He goes every Wednesday before it opens."

"What? Why?"

"Orphans."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," Tseng confessed, and placed his hands on the desk beside him.

"He donates."

Shocked at the revelation, Tseng simply sat there and blinked repetitively in astonishment. "Reno was an orphan," he realized, and then he shook his head in bewilderment before he suggested, "Cloud must have escaped then."

"If he did, you would have known already," Vincent reminded him, "You would have been the first person the prison would have contacted."

"But the only person that has the authority to release him is… Leviathan…" Tseng muttered as he paled before he said, "Rufus."

"Exactly," Vincent confirmed before he came up to sit beside Tseng on his desk, "I never told you how sorry I was."

Not really listening to Vincent, Tseng sat there paling even more as he thought about what was going on.

_Sorry…_

Sorry didn't exactly cut it if things were actually as they were appearing to be, "I think I'm finally at the end of my rope, Vince."

With nothing more than a subtle nod, the ex-Turk sunk the lower half of his face into the mantle of his cloak and stood up, "I'll investigate Reno and let you know the moment I find anything. If he's still alive, it's possible he might not remember who he is… It's also possible he might be a part of this." Then he walked to the door and quietly said without turning around, "Good luck with your daughter," before he opened the door and left.

"Leviathan," Tseng muttered to himself and covered his face with his hands, "What do I tell Rufus?"

Then after a few moments of sitting quietly in dread, he picked up his PHS to awaken Rude with the latest possible news on Reno.

"Yes, I agree," he said to the large Turk on the other end, "But I still don't want to tell Rufus anything until we have concrete evidence… The last thing I want to do is get his hopes up only to see them get crushed again."

* * *

_"I'll investigate Reno and let you know the moment I find anything. If he's still alive, it's possible he might not remember who he is… It's also possible he might be a part of this."_

_That's interesting, _Rufus thought to himself when he got tired of going through his paperwork on his laptop and decided he'd take a quick run through the surveillance in the building. It was something he hadn't done in years.

If only he'd decided to do that sooner though. Then he might have known more about what the hell was going on in Tseng's office in the middle of the night between two of his own Turks and Vincent. And since when did Tseng hold private meetings in his office at such hours? Rufus didn't even hear the man leave his apartment.

"Well, I certainly hope you plan on telling me _something_, Tseng," he muttered, a little on the drunk side, as he took an unnecessarily long drag from his cigarette.

After all, it certainly appeared to Rufus that everyone else seemed to know what the hell was going on except for him. Then he closed his laptop with a slight frustration and stared at the side of the bed where Reno used to sleep while placing his hand on it as if the man was right there. And with an almost anxious feeling, Rufus closed his eyes and recalled the most important part of what he heard Vincent say…

_"If."_

* * *

It was nearly morning when Cloud awoke in a tangled mess with the redhead who'd also managed to fall asleep some time after he must have. He knew he was tired, but he was a little disappointed that he let himself fall asleep before his conniving little companion did. It appeared as though the man never made an attempt to get away or pull anything on him though, causing Cloud to bite on his bottom lip in contemplation.

"I can't believe you're really here," he quietly muttered, after he pushed himself to his knees and remained kneeling beside the lithe and delicate-looking male while unconsciously running his fingers lightly along a loose strand of hair running over the ground, "After everything…"

Was this some sort of gift at a second chance? Cloud wondered to himself when he moved to trace one of the scars below the other man's eyes. There were so many things that Cloud could tell him and not tell him. But no… He couldn't take advantage of the man like that, no matter how much he wanted to. It would all blow up in his face in the end, and it wouldn't have been fair to Reno either.

"Nnn… nah… nah…"

_Still having bad dreams…_ Cloud frowned and pulled his hand away from the stirring redhead so as not to disturb him too much. He never could get over the fact that Reno was so plagued once he found out. He always seemed so… unaffected. But that was all disproved when he found him in that shack outside of Icicle Inn so many years ago.

"Mah… nnn-no… mom…"

_Mom?_ Shaking his head a little, he pushed himself up to his feet and grabbed Reno's flask to take a drink when he was suddenly startled and dropped it.

"NYAGHHHH…! YOU SET ME UP! YOU SONUVABITCH!"

_"You deserved it."_

Reno suddenly screamed out with his hands clasped over his ears like he was trying to drown something out and violently pushed himself away from where he was lying, like he was attempting to get away from something, and he practically started clawing at himself.

"Shit!" Cloud stammered, and with a little hesitation, he ran over to the other man to try and offer him some form of support or comfort.

"They said he was my friend!" the redhead hysterically cried out, and then he looked pleadingly at Cloud as if he hoped the Mako-enhanced blonde might have the answer as he admitted, "I don't think he was."

With a slight frown and an uncertainty over what Reno was talking about, Cloud did the only thing he could think of and pulled him more into his arms. "It's okay…" he consoled as he unconsciously combed the knots out of the other man's hair with his fingers, "It was just a dream."

"N-no." Shaking his head in an almost neurotic fashion, Reno clung to the front of Cloud's shirt like he was hanging on for dear life, "They're lyin ta me… I know it."

"I don't know what to say," Cloud distantly admitted, considering that he really didn't know exactly who _they _were, and he got the feeling that Reno probably wouldn't tell him either. If only he could have been there from the start, he thought to himself. Maybe he could have helped him out a little more.

"Shit."

Practically like the turn of a hat, Reno pushed himself away with a slight embarrassment and muttered out, "I-I'm not normally this pathetic, Man," as an explanation while he slightly blushed and continued to ramble on, almost to himself while digging around in his pocket for something and avoiding Cloud's watchful gaze. "I, uh… I guess I… jus… I dunno… confused… yeah…"

"Toxic power," Cloud offered as an excuse for him to use, knowing full-well that he probably would have used the same excuse for himself if he were in the same position, "You're probably just a little affected, still."

"Yeah." With a nervous chuckle, the redhead pulled out his pills and opened the bottle to take some.

"What's that?" Cloud asked with a suddenly protective curiosity, and moved over to the redhead to see the bottle more clearly.

"Hm?" Raising his brow, Reno turned his attention to the blonde and innocently showed him the bottle while answering, "My medication."

"For what?" Suspicious of why Reno would still need to take medication, he took the bottle and inspected it along with the contents while Reno simply shrugged like there was nothing odd about it.

"My condition."

"I thought you were cured."

"Did'n know unstable limits could be cured."

"What?" Cloud asked, only half paying attention, "No… I meant… the bacteria."

"What bacteria?"

"The bacteria you were infected with…" the blonde answered, and then he looked at Reno with an alarming concern, "That's what these were for."

"Don't think I have no bacteria."

With an innocent shrug and a smile, the redhead grabbed the bottle away from the ex-Soldier after Cloud took one out to inspect it, and then he mused over the fact that maybe his initial thoughts on being in stasis due to a sickness had some substance. He didn't say anything about it though, just in case.

"Ren-…ault…" Cloud hesitantly started, not exactly used to calling him by that name at the same time the redhead dumped two of the pills into his hand.

"Ya can call me Reno," he carelessly answered and shrugged again before he started screwing the cap back onto the bottle. Then he smiled a little sheepishly with a bit of an embarrassed glint in his eyes as he admitted that, "Think I like it better."

With a shake to his head, Cloud muttered out, "Reno," and then he brought the pill closer to his eyes to study it with his enhanced vision. "These pills were designed to keep the Mako at bay. I don't think you should still be taking these," he cautioned, as he brought the pill to his mouth to taste it, "They interfered with your ability to heal properly."

"That don't make sense," The redhead commented before a sudden curiosity hit him as the words sunk in. Then he started to ramble again while his hand danced around in front of his mouth with a growing reluctance to take the pills while he was talking with each sudden and new thought, and almost taking them at each pause, "What Mako? Street-Mako? I was born with it… But that don't help ya heal, Man… Why would I be ta –?"

"Shit!" Cloud suddenly exclaimed, and lunged forward to quickly smack the pills out of Reno's hand and grabbed the bottle from him, "Don't take those!"

"What the fuck is your problem?"

"These are full of Hypers!"

"Bullshit!" Reno retaliated, and then he explained that the whole reason he had to take the pills was because his limit needed to be kept under control, "Hypers would defeat the fuckin purpose… would'n they?"

"I think…" Cloud muttered as he stared at the pill in his hand, "Someone's playing a dangerous game with you."

"Fuck that!"

Suddenly on edge, Reno pushed at the blonde in a semblance of pushing at his own frustration. Since the day he woke up in that fucking villa in Kalm, nothing seemed to fit, and it was almost starting to make a disturbing sort of sense to him.

"I've gotta go," he suddenly said, with an uncontrollable shake to his head. And then he stormed over to the blocked entrance and kicked at in irritation, "Ya think ya can move this fuckin thing outta the way?"

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I gotta talk ta my partner."

"Your… partner?" With a slight sense of confusion, Cloud stepped forward in hopes of clarification.

"Yeah… my partner," Reno answered. "He's the one that's so fuckin concerned about whether I take those fuckin things'r not," he explained with a wave of his hand at the pills on the ground.

Shaking his head in refusal, Cloud wound up frowning at Reno and walking up to him to pull him away from the entrance. "I don't want you going back there," he sternly said and was knocked back unexpectedly.

"I can't fuckin stay here, ya idiot! Ya think he's not gonna come lookin fer me?"

"Shit. Reno," Cloud started with another shake to his head, knowing full-well that there was no way he was going to get Reno to listen to him if he was anything like he used to be, "At least let me go with you then."

"Are you fuckin nuts?" Suddenly on edge about such an absurd idea, Reno at least felt the need to clarify, "No one's supposed ta know we're here… I can't jus fuckin walk in with _you_ at my side."

"Why not?"

"Cuz the man's a fuckin psycho!"

"All the more reason for me to not let you out of my sight!" Cloud yelled back at him and took a step forward. "I've already lost y –" _once_. "Forget it… You wanna go… Fucking go," he suddenly muttered and angrily stormed over to the blockage to move it out of Reno's way. He could just follow him anyway.

"That seems to be something your good at," he added with his back to the redhead that made his way over to Cloud's sword lying on the ground, "But like hell if I'm letting you out of my sight."

"Thought ya said we weren't friends," Reno suspiciously mused as he looked at the unnecessarily large sword by his feet, "How ya lift this thing? It looks heavy."

"Don't touch that," Cloud warned, and then he added, "And we're not friends."

"Ya seem kind'a… protective."

Kneeling down in complete ignorance to Cloud's warning, he attempted to lift it anyway – out of curiosity – and wound up raising his brow in contemplation of the confusing blonde when he discovered that he couldn't, and then he added, "Fer someone who ain't my friend."

Then he stood up and pushed it a little laboriously with his foot down to the lower level of the cave. "Shit!" he yelled, in an obvious attempt to get Cloud's attention as the blonde turned around and glared at him. Then he started backing up like it was nothing more than an accident, "Man… I'm sorry… I did'n mean ta do that."

"Yes you did," Cloud accused, "You think I'm gonna be dumb enough to jump down there and get it so you can make a run for it."

"Looks expensive." With a conniving grin, Reno tauntingly met Cloud's eyes after sizing him up. "An ya don't look like ya got much Gil," he said with a suddenly malicious tone, "'Least that's the impression I get from someone who 'as ta chase someone inta the middle'a nowhere in the dead'a the night."

With a guilty nod, Cloud couldn't really disagree with the crazy redhead. But he still wasn't about to turn his back on him either, especially not with the way he was suddenly behaving and staring at him. As a result, Cloud wound up lunging at him to drag him down to the lower level along with him while the redhead snickered in a manner that said his actions were useless.

"You wanna play games, Reno?" Cloud coldly said as he pulled him along, "We can do that."

Then he cursed when they were on the lower level and he saw the sword lying awkwardly in a crevice, leaving him no choice but to let go of the cynically chuckling redhead in order to get to it. "Stay right there!" Cloud demanded, with a rough push to send Reno onto the ground in hopes that he'd stay there long enough for him to quickly retrieve the only sword that really mattered to him.

"Cloud?" Reno called from behind, while the ex-Soldier reached awkwardly to try and grab the damned thing.

"What?" he angrily asked as he finally got a good grip on it and was struck violently at the base of the skull from behind, causing him to lose his balance and briefly black out.

"I'm really sorry," the redhead said in a genuine tone, and sat him down carefully before he started walking away, "But I need ta get some answers… I think I'm in some kind'a trouble." Then he turned to the blonde that was struggling back to his feet and cursing as Reno continued to quickly back away, "I know ya'll find me, but I need a little time first."

And before no time, the redhead found his way to the upper level and left as quickly as he could while Cloud struggled with all of his strength to regain his equilibrium from the blow to his head.

"Shit…"

_What the hell did he hit me with? _

_Wait a minute… Did he just call me…?_

Still not exactly sure if he was being played with, Cloud couldn't help but smile a little when he dug into his pocket to pull out his shades, and found they weren't there after he ran to the sunlit entrance of the cave to find that the redhead and the bottle of pills were long-gone. That was fine though, Cloud told himself, because sooner or later, Reno would have to come and get his wallet back.

After all, two could play at that game.

_Just like old times, _Cloud thought to himself after he put his sword back in its sheath. He only hoped that Reno knew what the hell he was doing like he did in the old days as well. Not to mention, if Cloud didn't know any better, Reno had just given him permission in a roundabout sort of way to go after him.

* * *

Revised: August 20,2010


	8. Entrapment

**Entrapment**

* * *

"Where were you last night?" Marcus asked with a feigned curiosity, as Reno entered their room in the early hours of the morning, "Were you finally able to get it up?"

"Funny," Reno muttered, and then he snorted at the truth of the comment before looking over at the man sitting lazily in a chair near the corner of the room with a wry grin on his face.

"Well?" With his brow quirked, Marcus reached over to tap his ashes into the ashtray on the table nearby, "Are you going to answer me? Or should I simply jump to conclusions."

"Conclude all ya want." In a manner of attempting to avoid having to answer the man, Reno reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette and then added, "'Sides… could ask ya the same thing…" Then he lit the cigarette and muttered, "Long fuckin bathroom break, if ya ask me."

"Yes, well…" Marcus mused, as he thought about his answer, "I don't think the tempura agreed with me."

With a sarcastic grunt, Reno looked over to the man and noticed his eyes were glowing slightly brighter than usual, leading him to assume the man had just taken another one of his so-called 'required' Mako shots. Then he took a drag and walked over to the other chair by the table to casually sit down before he dug into his pocket and placed the bottle of pills onto the table.

"Whadya think would happen, if I did'n take these fer a day?" he asked while carelessly pointing at the bottle and making every effort to make it seem like nothing more than a curious thought.

Shrugging and leaning forward, Marcus quirked his brow and took a good look at the redhead with a curious expression before answering, "According to Ten-ji, your limit would take control of you."

"Would?" Reno asked, and then he turned his head to regard the man and was barely able to hide his growing dislike for him, "Or… _could_?"

With another casual shrug, Marcus narrowed his eyes slightly and placed both his hands on the table near the ashtray where he placed his cigarette, "What's with the sudden curiosity?"

"Nuthin…" Reno answered while attempting to keep the other man from becoming too suspicious, and then he took a drag from his cigarette before elaborating, "Was jus wonderin what would happen if I did'n take them."

"I see," Marcus responded, and then he scratched at his chest before sitting back in his chair while letting out a long sigh, "I believe you were told that already." Then out of a sudden interest, he turned his attention back to the redhead and carefully looked over him, "You _did_ take them today… right?"

"What if I did'n?" Suddenly returning Marcus' study with a challenge in his eyes, he decided to defiantly add with a slight accusation that threw his attempt at maintaining a casual ease completely out the window, "S'pose I decided ta take some Hypers instead… ta see what would happen…"

"Hypers…" Marcus repeated in a calculated way while lowering his head and wondering exactly how much Reno was aware of.

"Yeah…" Reno commented to Marcus' suspicious focus on the word, "Outta curiosity…"

With a slight smile accompanied by a blank expression for a few moments, Marcus simply looked up and gazed right through the redhead instead of at him while contemplating the sudden attitude in regards to his pills. Then with no expectation whatsoever from his challenging companion, the Blonde violently slammed the edge of the table into Reno's gut, pinning him to the wall and eliciting a pained shriek of surprise from the suddenly trapped redhead.

"You didn't take them!" Marcus accused, turning suddenly feral before adding with an angry growl, "Did you?" Then he quickly got up, knocking his chair over in the process while paying no mind to it as he placed his hands on the edge of the table to hold it securely in place.

"YOU TWISTED FUCK!" the redhead cried out before grimacing and swinging his legs forward to kick at the blonde's knees in hopes of hyper-extending them enough to get some form of release from his sudden entrapment. "Why the hell would I wanna take them after finding out there full'a fuckin Hypers!" he shrieked, and grabbed the bottle of pills to whip it at the blonde across from him.

"You fucking little _bitch_!" Marcus yelled, as the bottle hit him in the temple and the table was pushed forward and into him, forcing him to stumble back before the redhead got up to make a run for it. "You think I don't know who you were with last night?" he confronted and grabbed the leg of Reno's pants, causing him to lose his balance and hit the floor before he was roughly turned over onto his back, "Tell me, _Princess_, what did your _lover_ tell you then? Inquiring minds would _love_ to know."

"What?" Reno exclaimed, half-astonished and half-terrified by Marcus' suddenly vicious and accusatory behaviour as he was dragged toward the unpredictable and crazed blonde, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

_"It was a fucking mistake!"_

_"Was it? If I recall correctly, you were the one asking me if I ever wanted to take the reigns… The second I said no, you turned the scenario into an argument and ran off to let someone else do it…"_

_"Fuck… That's not what fucking happened!"_

_"Oh? So you didn't fuck Cloud? Are you going to tell me that you spent the entire night out, and came back with his stink all over you for a different reason?"_

"Agh!" With a sudden shriek, Reno clasped his hands to the sides of his head from an intensely sharp pain that came out of nowhere while the blonde grabbed his fist into the redhead's shirt and started crawling over him.

"You want to see what will happen if your limit takes over?" Marcus threateningly growled, practically drooling at the thought as he pulled out one of his syringes full of Mako that he'd readied for his next shot, "Is that what you want?"

"Get the fuck off me!" Reno yelled in horror, suddenly wanting to get as far away from the twisted lunatic as he possibly could.

As a last resort, the redhead wound up violently swinging his knee into the other man's crotch in order to get him to loosen his Mako-enhanced hold on him so he could run. _There's no way that could'a happened!_ He thought to himself as he ran for the door and had his face smashed roughly into it as the blonde grabbed him by the hair from behind and forcefully pushed him forward, _Not with you… _

"LET GO OF ME!"

"Let's both find out," Marcus said with a slight grimace and his other hand protectively over his pained crotch before he pulled Reno back and pushed him to the floor with enough force for the redhead to bring a toppling chair along with him, "Shall we?"

Then the blonde kicked him hard in the side to keep him down and smiled at the cry that escaped as he informed, "I have to admit, I'm rather curious to see what would happen myself." After that, he knelt down with his brow cocked in amusement and grabbed Reno by the back of his shirt to hold him still while simultaneously pulling the cap off the needle with his teeth before stabbing it into the redhead's side and hitting the plunger.

"NYAAAGGGHHH!"

_"I'm afraid that will be all for today, Child… It appears I've exhausted you far too much for any further tests… Strap him down, please… We can start again in the morning…"_

* * *

After only a couple hours of sleep to make it look like he never left the apartment, Tseng found himself back in his office with Rude lingering over his shoulder. All the while, he sat there going through the tracking system in order to see if he could pinpoint the location of the call through any residual frequencies Vincent had asked him to trace. Unfortunately, it appeared as though Cloud wasn't into making many calls and was still using the older phone system, making Tseng's job all that much more difficult.

_Leviathan… _Tseng thought to himself. Then he smoothed his hair back before covering his face with his hands and sitting back in his chair while sarcastically musing over the situation. _Is it possible for anything else to happen within the next couple of hours?_

"Why don't you just get Vincent to call him back?" Rude suggested, rewarding himself with a cynical look from his superior.

_I must be slipping, _He mused silently. Normally that was something he would have thought of first.

With a rough pat on his shoulder in understanding, Rude simply nodded and moved to seat himself in the chair opposite to Tseng. "If you want, I can take over this task while you set your focus on things of more importance to you," the big man offered, careful not to mention the words 'daughter' or 'Allysia'.

"No," Tseng replied, and reached into his pocket with his brow quirked as he pulled out his PHS and hit the speed-dial for Vincent's number, "You know as well as I do that Vince only deals with me."

"…" _I also know you're the only person alive that calls him 'Vince'._

"He's not a big fan of Shinra," Tseng added when he saw Rude raise his brows subtly, knowing full-well that his friendship with Vincent had been raising questions in the dark man across from him ever since the remnants.

"Yes… Vince…" he said with his finger raised at Rude to let him know he received an answer on the other line and to keep his thoughts on hold, "No… He's still on the older system… Yes. I know… I suspected as much too, but it was worth a shot… Perhaps you could… Yes…"

"You guys aren't much for small talk, are you?" Rude observed for the umpteenth time as Tseng hung up, wondering what kind of weird friendship bonded two men that never communicated on a deeper level.

"We have a lot in common," Tseng simply said, and punched back into his system to wait for Vincent to make the call in hopes that he could trace it.

"Really." Still somewhat sceptical, Rude reached over to grab the only picture, among several, of Tseng and Vincent before Hojo got his hands on the man and raised his brows at it, "You guys didn't look close."

"I'm not interested in discussing my past relations with anyone, Rude… No offence."

"None taken," the large Turk replied, and sat back after returning the picture to where he got it from. He'd figure Tseng out one day, he decided, and he had all the time in the world to do so as far as he was concerned.

"I never got the chance to ask…"

"Ask what?"

"What Tifa said…?" Tseng elaborated as he kept his eyes on the system in anticipation, "When you proposed."

"I never got the chance," Rude replied, and pulled on his jacket to straighten it out before turning his attention over to the attentive Turk that was waiting for a signal.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." With a bit of a sigh, Rude put his hand in his pocket to make sure the ring was still there, becoming somewhat obsessive over it and not willing to let anyone know about his obsession. Then he pulled his hand back out and adjusted his shades, "There'll be other times."

"You know it won't be easy being married to her," Tseng factually said, awarding a suddenly curious look from the dark man who was suddenly unable to hide his expression, "Especially with you being a Turk."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying it's a large risk to marry someone like her… especially with you being a Turk," Tseng responded, without taking his eyes from the screen, "Perhaps you would be better off if you stopped seeing her altogether."

"What?" Rude responded with an inability to hide his surprise, right before he became uncontrollably defensive – _No wonder Rufus always fights with you –_ "Then why did you marry Elena?"

"It was a mistake," Tseng factually answered, and continued to focus on the screen in front of him. "Perhaps it was the biggest mistake I ever made," he indulged without showing any emotion in regards to the matter.

"What the hell are you saying?"

"I'm saying… _Rude_," the slender Wutian responded with a sharp edge towards Rude's sudden and anxious response, "That perhaps you could save yourself a lot of heartbreak if… Hang on," he interjected, and turned his attention back to the screen.

Suddenly understanding where Tseng was coming from and that he wasn't just turning into a complete prick for no reason, Rude jumped from his seat to linger behind the slender Wutian as he finally got a signal to Cloud's number. "We'll find her," Rude said as he placed his hand on his superior's shoulder in a manner of concern, "I'm not gonna rest until we do."

"I know," Tseng responded, and then he told Rude to shut up as he hit Vincent's number again, "Yes… Wutai…" Was all the slender man said before he hung up, rekindling Rude's curiosity in regards to Tseng's relationship with the ex-Turk, yet again.

* * *

"Heh-he-heh," came the slow and chilling chuckle from the redhead that had suddenly calmed down after a few moments of writhing around in agony from the shot.

"What's so funny?" Marcus asked, suddenly amused by the change in the redhead's behaviour.

"Would'n ya like ta know," the redhead commented, before he moved quicker than anyone could have anticipated to grab the blonde and hold him against the wall with an unexpected speed and strength. Then he peered at the younger man with hungry blue eyes and an almost feral grin while snarling and pulling out his gun, "Weren't ya never told ya should'n play with things ya know nuthin 'bout?"

"Whoever said, I knew nothing about you," the blonde replied with a chilling amusement to his tone as his eyes practically danced with an intrigued light at the sight before him, and then he held up his arm to reveal the armlet full of Materia in a manner to catch the blue-eyed maniac's attention.

"Sunovabitch!" the possessed redhead hissed, and let go quickly before slinking away to sit cautiously on the edge of the bed behind him. Then he placed his gun carefully down beside him and kept his eyes fastidiously locked to the familiar-looking blonde the whole time in a form of disgust, "That was Aldrich's."

"That's right, Ren," Marcus answered with a slow nod to his head as he ran his tongue across the top row of his teeth, and with a satisfied grin, he brought his arm down to run the fingers of his other hand caressingly over the armlet around his wrist, "I'm impressed you remember that much."

"Whadya want from me?"

"A little cooperation…" the blonde responded, almost musically, before he came to stand in front of the crazed-looking redhead and placed his fingers under Ren's chin to tilt his face towards his own, "I know you have the ability to manipulate Reno."

"What the fuck makes ya think I'll cooperate wit'ya?" the redhead replied venomously and pulled away from the blonde's touch, "Ya think I don't know what yer up ta?"

"I'm not exactly sure about what you know," the blonde admitted, and then he knelt down in front of the redhead to playfully look up at him, completely taken with the dark side he was suddenly facing, "But from what I understand, you've always known far more than Reno in the past."

Not willing to confirm the blonde's assumption, the blue-eyed redhead simply kept his eyes locked to Reno's tormentor before suddenly bashing the familiar-looking man across the face with the gun, knocking him over and leaving a deep gash on his cheek.

Then he malevolently suggested that, "Ya'd better use Cure fast if ya want that ta heal properly… Would'n want that ta scar'n ruin yer only chances'a fuckin everyone over," while cruelly chuckling and placing his gun back in his holster as he proceeded to stand.

"I think it would be best if you healed it," Marcus responded with a restrained anger as he dabbed his fingers against the cut and then looked at the blood on them before pushing himself up, "Because if you don't, I'm afraid that Tseng and Elena's daughter may meet a most unfortunate end."

"Yer full'a shit," Ren hissed, and almost pulled his gun out to shoot the man for suggesting such a thing before the blonde quickly pushed him back down and shoved a newspaper into his lap that he haphazardly grabbed from the stand by the bed.

"Really?" With a cruel smirk, Marcus kept his eyes locked to Ren and reminded him of the armlet with an obvious gesture as the man looked down at the paper and read the headline before looking at the picture of the missing child with her parents, as Marcus cynically chuckled above him, "I think you'll agree that her well-being is of utmost importance to you."

With a snort, the redhead threw the paper at the man's face and sharply blurted as the pages fell apart and fluttered to the floor, "What the fuck makes ya think I give a shit."

"Because _Reno_ would," Marcus answered as a calm and factual statement, suggesting he was more than convinced of the truth to his assumptions.

"She's a fuckin kid!"

"I'm aware of that."

"Ya would'n kill a fuckin kid."

"Oh. Yes. I. Would," Marcus replied with a fire in his eyes that did nothing more than prove he would definitely go out of his way to ensure that Ren did as he requested, "And if it would help, I'd make sure she'd _suffer_. Just. For. _You_."

"Yer a sick fuck," Ren replied with a quiet defeat, knowing there wasn't much he could do if the blonde used the Materia on him. Then to comply for the time-being, he placed his hand on the blonde's face to heal the cut completely, not willing to take a chance on such a gamble where anything that mattered to Reno was involved, "Where is she?"

"I'm not dumb enough to tell you that."

"Then tell me what the fuck it is ya want from me," he demanded. All the while, he kept his eyes on the armlet around the blonde's arm with caution and chuckling over something he wasn't openly indulging in, "Sumthin tells me ya did'n go out of yer way jus ta invite me over fer tea and scones."

"What I want…" Marcus mused tauntingly, with a slight attempt to brush off the sarcastic comment before moving to sit beside the cautious redhead who seemed to be going through a plethora of different emotions per second, "Is for you to ensure that Reno thinks it's _Cloud_ that he wants, and _not _Rufus."

"'Cuz that would jus upset yer plans," the redhead commented cynically, knowing full-well that such a deception would end up in nothing other than a complete mess. Then he ran his eyes adoringly over the blonde's appearance to emphasise his thoughts, "An ya would'n want that 'cuz then ya'd hafta –"

"Yes," the blonde interjected rather suddenly. "But that's not all I want," he added, and then he moved a little closer to the redhead and brushed his hair back with the same arm as the armlet to keep the reminder going over who was in control, "I want you to help me with something else as well."

* * *

_Wutai, it is then…_

"Go away," Vincent said under his breath, to the annoying young Wutian female trailing behind him as he put the PHS back into his pocket,.

"Look, Vin," she commented, searing the edge of every nerve in the ex-Turks body, "I know something's going on… I can help."

"I don't want your help," he coldly informed, and sunk the lower half of his face farther into his mantle to avoid the stares from the people on the street as they walked by.

"C'mon, Vin…" the young woman whined, as he turned a corner and entered an alleyway, "It'll be like old times."

"Quit calling me that," Vincent warned, as his steps quickened in hopes that she'd take the hint.

"Why?" she asked, annoying the pale man even further, and then she quickened her own pace to keep up with the long-legged stride of the ex-Turk, "It sounds cute."

_Cute…_

Suddenly stopping without warning, the ex-Turk simply stared ahead for a few moments while he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to get rid of her as easily as he'd hoped. As a result, he dug into his pocket faster than anyone could take note of and blew a small amount of dream powder into the younger woman's face before he quickly grabbed the falling form and walked her through the back door of the Seventh Heaven.

"Oh, Gaia!" Tifa exclaimed, when she saw Vincent walk in with Yuffi in his arms, "What happened?"

"She called me Vin," he responded, and started to walk up the back stairs to find an empty bed while Tifa frowned at the scenario and followed closely behind.

"Do you really think it was necessary to put her to sleep over something like that?" the dark-haired woman asked, with a slightly disapproving tone as she pulled the blankets back on one of the beds before Vincent laid the young woman down.

"No."

"Then why did you do it?"

"She wouldn't go away."

Not meeting Tifa's eyes the whole time, Vincent turned to leave in hopes that he could catch the next ship to Wutai in time – without Yuffi at his heels. As far as he was concerned, he'd already wasted far too much valuable time in attempting to walk her in the wrong direction as it was.

"Hm," Tifa grunted, and crossed her arms in front of her while sizing up the strange man from behind. "Well, it was nice to see you again, Vincent," she said quietly as he walked out, "Even if it was for only a few minutes."

* * *

"Demi," the blonde smoothly said, after he felt his conversation with Ren was concluded, and then he watched with a fascinated curiosity as the redhead's eyes rolled back into his head before he fell over onto the bed.

"Well, at least you told me the truth, Aldrich," he muttered to himself with an impressed tone and pulled the unconscious Turk so his head was at the frame of the bed before pulling out a rope to fasten his wrists to the bars with.

"I suppose I'm going to have to make this look like I don't approve," he told the non-responsive form while he tied the ropes in a manner that would be easy to break free from with a little effort.

Then he walked into the bathroom to fill a glass of water so he could throw it into the other man's face in order to wake him up. "You passed out," he said when the redhead stirred with a startled cry and looked around in confusion, "However, I'm not willing to take anymore risks with you." With a slightly bitter smirk, he motioned his hands to the ropes to get the redhead to realize what kind of trouble he was in.

"Fuck!" Reno exclaimed, before he started struggling with the ropes in a panic, "What the fuck is'a matter with you?"

"I have some business to tend to," Marcus informed, as he pulled his sleeve over his armlet with a dry smirk, "And I'm afraid I can no longer trust you enough to leave you on your own."

"You sick Fuck!"

Suddenly liking the situation he was in less than he initially did, he quickly pushed himself up and practically plastered himself to the bars he was fastened to when Marcus sat on the edge of the bed with a smile on his face and placed his hand on Reno's leg, almost as if he was attempting to comfort the man.

"I believe there may be some truth to that statement," he mused with a sudden snicker, and then he turned his icy-cold eyes to tauntingly meet the fiery green that glared back at him, "However…" With a few rough pats on the other man's leg, Marcus scooted along the bed to get closer to the redhead and brushed the man's hair out of his face while looking at the bruise on his cheek that must have blossomed when he smashed Reno's face into the door, "I'm not about to let something like that get to me."

After a twisted chuckle, he leaned closer so his face was uncomfortably close to the cautious redhead's who'd managed to push himself even farther against the bars than he already was, "Especially not when you're at such a vulnerable stage in your life." Then he leaned closer and kissed the hissing redhead lightly on his bruised cheek before adding with a pearly grin, "Pretty."

"Yer not gonna get away with whatever twisted fuck-up ya got in mind, Marcus," Reno warned him with a rough kick into the blonde's ribs, causing the younger man to double over unexpectedly, "If ya think I ain't tellin Ten-ji about yer psychotic episode, then yer even more fucked up than ya already appear ta be."

Chuckling at the comment, Marcus straightened himself up with a grimace and his hand pressed against his ribs, before he quickly grabbed the redhead by the jaw and dug his fingers in with a bruising force, "I think you need to realise that he's more likely to believe what I tell him as opposed to something some crazed lunatic has to say."

"I think yer _fucked_."

"Hm."

With his brow cocked, he grabbed the redhead's legs to sit on them in order to avoid being kicked again, and banged the back of the man's head into the wall behind him.

"Perhaps… in the head maybe…" he mused with a madcap grin, "But you fail to understand that there are some things Ten-ji doesn't know." Chuckling suddenly at the thought, Marcus moved closer again in order to taunt the redhead some more before he added, "Like the fact that you ran into Cloud last night." Then he brushed the redhead's hair back again and cocked his brow for emphasis, "And the fact that you spent the _entire_ evening with him."

"Perhaps, Little _Princess_," Marcus taunted spitefully, "You're unaware that that is a _bad_ thing in the eyes of our Boss." Then he smacked the palm of his hand twice on the redhead's face in a semblance of smacking some sense into him.

"So…" he started, as he got up and straightened out his loosely-buttoned shirt, "I think it would be in your best interest if you simply behaved for the remainder of our stay here… After all, three more days isn't going to kill you."

Pausing long enough to smirk at the thought, Marcus pulled out a cigarette to light it and offered it to the refusing redhead before he continued, "And perhaps you can use this time to think about the very grave mistake you've managed to make last night in regards to how Ten-ji would react to it, and the consequences that could spur from such an act if I were to… Let's say… Let it slip?"

Not saying anything in return, the redhead simply sat there, staring at the pillows and hugging the wall while trying to make sense out of everything Marcus was saying to him. Not to mention the strange flash he had shortly before he blacked out was nothing less than disturbing to him, more so than it initially was. But it wasn't because something had apparently happened between him and Cloud, if there was any substance to that. It was more because something had apparently happened between him and…

"Oh. By the way, _Reno…_" Marcus added with emphasis, causing the redhead to slowly turn his confused attention towards the blonde from what he just called him, "Depending on what you've remembered so far?" After taking another drag, Marcus moved back towards the bed and knelt beside it while staring into a confusion of green.

"I just want to let you know ahead of time," he said with a suddenly soft tone, "That even though you might still be the same after five years… Most people tend to change within that amount of passing time.

"So, perhaps we can just bury our past." After smiling at the redhead, he pushed himself back up to walk toward the door and then added with a twisted chuckle before leaving, "And just be friends."

* * *

He couldn't help but continue to laugh about the situation after he walked out, leaving the redhead in utter confusion over what the hell was going on.

_Just be friends… Like that'll ever happen…_

The look on the man's face was priceless, and to think he got all that done with enough time to spare as he made his way back to the small villa where they did their initial dealings with the Wutians for the Exit Materia.

After all, he'd heard that they also dealt in Mako, and he was suddenly one shot short. But before that, it was probably best that he made a call to voice his concerns over Renault possibly remembering a little too much all of the sudden and becoming a slight problem. Perhaps his boss should be informed of the fact that maybe Reno needed to be taken out of the picture.

That way, Reno could set more focus on trying to stay alive and put more effort into what Marcus had asked Ren to do. Despite the success of the conversation he had with him, he still couldn't help but remember the fact that Aldrich warned him Ren wasn't exactly the most trustworthy type, regardless of what you threatened him with.

And with such good timing, perhaps some tea and scones before business wasn't that bad of an idea either.

* * *

_"These were Ten-ji's men," the slender Wutian muttered to his partner as he walked over to the near-dead redhead lying indecently in his own blood on the floor. The voices echoed with emphasis throughout the abandoned warehouse, along with each step that the two men took, "Leviathan… That's Renault."_

_"I'm calling the paramedics."_

_"Better tell them to hurry." With a sigh, the Wutian brushed the blood-soaked hair away from the battered and cut-up face after kneeling down to check for a weak pulse, "Goodness… Where's your friend?"_

_"Don't you have any Restore Materia?"_

_"Yes. But with multiple wounds like these, I'm afraid it would do more harm than good," the Slender Turk replied before grabbing a hold of the pale and blood-streaked hand that had gone cold, and then he quietly muttered, "Besides, I don't think there's anything that can help him now…"_

"Nnng… Crazy fuck," Reno muttered in regards to Marcus while trying to brush away the onslaught of unwanted images and the strange voice suddenly assaulting him as he worked at pulling the ropes loose. _I need ta get the hell outta here…_

"Gaia… Tell me that did'n happen," he quietly whined, realizing it was the man who'd supposedly been caring for him that was behind what he was unwillingly remembering.

_"It did… Wanna see more?"_

_Shut up…_

"No."

_"I can show ya whatcha did fer revenge."_

"I don' wanna see it."

_"I'll show ya anyway."_

"I SAID I DON'T WANNA SEE IT!"

_"Too bad."_

* * *

"We've found a possible lead," Jared informed Tseng when he walked into his office around fifteen hundred hours, "Someone at the Seventh Heaven said they overheard two men talking and told us where we could find them."

With a short nod, Tseng looked up at Elena who'd been standing by his side most of the day as they went through the systems together in hopes of finding some kind of slip-up from one of the older recordings. "Are you up to this?" he asked with a genuine concern, taking note of the bitter look in her eyes as she stared at Jared and demanded, "Where," a little on the harsh side.

"Of course I am," she said with a tone that made Tseng's skin crawl. He knew Elena had a dark side, but he couldn't exactly say he was all that fond of it at times, especially when it concerned the matter they were facing. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe he should make her stay behind before she wound up doing something overly vengeful out of sheer anger.

He simply nodded as a response though. In all honesty, he wasn't so sure if he wanted to face it himself, and as a result, he simply stood up and said, "Let's go. I'll call Rude and have him come as well. I think it might be better to go with my favourite number today." Then he muttered under his breath as he watched Elena follow Jared out of his office while he took a moment to shut his system down, "For luck's sake."

* * *

By the time the evening came by, Cloud had exhausted all his avenues in his search for Reno's whereabouts and was a little disappointed that the troublesome redhead hadn't appeared to try and locate him either. After all, Cloud still had the man's wallet and he hadn't come to retrieve it yet.

As a result, the younger ex-Soldier found himself sighing as he sat on the edge of the bed with the thin strip of folded leather in his hand. _I'll give him one more hour,_ he thought to himself, hoping that something hadn't gone wrong.

In the old days Reno would have tracked him down and been pounding at his door already, but then again, he wasn't exactly dealing with the old Reno that time around. Maybe he just needed a little more time.

_This is crazy_, he convinced himself, and stood up while tossing the wallet on the nightstand by his bed, _You're being a dumbass._

Then he figured it was time for him to actually do something other than sit around and wait like a giddy child waiting for their first boyfriend to phone them, _He's not yours, and you know it._

With a bit of a snort, he knew he couldn't disagree with himself, and he decided a shower would help take his mind off the redhead, and if he still hadn't shown up by the time he was finished, he'd go looking for him again. But only to make sure he was alright, because he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that maybe he wasn't.

It was hard to tell if that's what he was really thinking and feeling though, because he honestly couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he wanted to seek the man out for more reasons than just protection. And he knew better than to pursue anything other than that, _It'll only hurt once he remembers anyway… You know that, don't you?_

After turning the water on and setting it to a temperature to his liking, he peeled away his clothes and stepped in for a quick wash and maybe even a means to wash his mind away as well. His shower was short-lived though, and he only got as far as barely rinsing the shampoo away when he heard something topple over in the adjoining room.

_Shit! _he thought, as he knocked the bottle of conditioner over from the surprise, _Someone's in my room._

Cautiously and uncertain of who or what was in the other room, Cloud left the water running so as not to awaken any suspicion and carefully stepped out to grab a towel and his sword, just in case he needed it. Apparently, he still hadn't gotten over his unexplainable need for protection, which was fine though, because there'd been times where it was completely called for. And with that reminder in mind, he took a deep breath before quickly opening the door and aiming his sword threateningly at the first sign of life that he found.

"Fer fuck's sake, Man!" came the surprised shout as the cloaked figure stood frozen and slightly more shaken than he already was with the tip of Cloud's blade no more than a hair's distance from his throat. Then in his usual manner to hide the fact that he was affected by it, he had to add with a bit of a forced snicker, "Ya fuckin shower with that thing too?"

"No," Cloud mumbled in a slight embarrassment, and then he quickly pulled the sword away from the redhead to place it on the table nearby before turning to watch the older man take a large swig from the bottle he shakily held in his hand and remove the hood of his cloak.

Then to make it seem like there was a legitimate reason for him to enter the ex-Soldier's room uninvited, Reno waved his wallet at Cloud playfully in an attempt to try and keep things light before muttering, "Yer lucky I had some Gil set aside."

After that, he placed it in the back pocket of his pants and bent down to reposition the chair he stumbled into when he tripped over the small rug on the floor, causing Cloud to shake his head and wonder how in the hell Reno ever managed to sneak around successfully when he was doing his job.

However, it wasn't a question he was about to ask just yet. Then to hide the fact that he was slightly taken with the other man, Cloud attempted to keep himself somewhat distant and uncaring, "I'd say the same about my shades. But unfortunately, I only have one pair."

And with a step forward as the redhead stood back up, he pulled his shades that were resting below the sheepishly grinning man's hairline and tossed them on the table near his sword before he stopped briefly and noted the bruises on the other man's face, suddenly finding it a little harder than he thought it would be to act like he didn't care, "What happened?"

"Got a little clumsy," the redhead drunkenly replied while turning his head away in avoidance. Then he pointed at an unopened bottle of rye that was sitting on the table. "I did'n know how else ta apologise ta ya… fer before…" he quietly said and continued to avoid the other man's eyes as he nervously scratched at the back of his neck.

"An I… was'n even sure if ya drank… But then I remembered ya were at the bar'n… So… I bought that fer ya… I dunno if that's what ya like… But it kind'a kept catchin my attention fer some reason… When I tried to think of what ya liked… That is."

Unable to stop himself from rambling again, he realized that the quiet blonde made him extremely nervous and wondered why he felt so comfortable and drawn to the man if he made him that nervous, and then he turned his eyes to the man's face while still avoiding his eyes and guiltily asked, "H-how's yer… head?"

"It's fine," Cloud replied, wondering if Reno thought of the rye because of Icicle Inn while he continued to stare at the other man's bruises with a growing concern. The man had always been clumsy; there was never any doubt about that.

But the bruises along his jaw looked more like they were done by someone gripping their fingers into it, and there was something about the way he avoided Cloud's eyes as he spoke to him, almost like he was ashamed or trying to hide something. Not to mention that he also seemed slightly out of sorts. But that could have had something to do with the fact that Cloud basically just threatened his life without meaning to, "How did you get in here?"

"Picked yer lock," he confessed with a bit of a sheepish grin, and then he took another large gulp from the bottle before answering Cloud's second question that the younger man never got the chance to ask, "Spent the last coupl'a hours tryin ta find out where ya were'n… some girl mentioned there was a cute blonde stayin here…"

With a slight blush, he looked to the side. "So… I found myself here'n takin a peak at the guest list when the lady at the counter dealt with someone else, an I saw yer name'n room number'n thought… maybe ya would'n mind if I paid ya a visit…" he commented before returning his attention back to Cloud as if he was waiting for some kind of approval over the matter.

The ex-Soldier probably would have smiled if it wasn't for the fact that the redhead was still seeming to go out of his way to avoid something, making him slightly suspicious over what might have happened since he last saw him that morning.

Not to mention that the man also reeked of alcohol, suggesting he'd had more than just what he was holding in his still-shaking hand, which was a tell-tale sign that there was something he was trying to drown away, "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah… uh… Sure…" Reno distantly replied before sitting down at the table and staring at the surface of it, "Look… I… I'm sorry 'bout invitin myself in, but…" With a slight shrug, the redhead scratched at the back of his neck again and then fleeted his eyes quickly at the half-naked blonde before returning them speedily to the table and taking another drink in hopes that it would continue to put a blanket on the voice that started talking to him earlier and confessed, "I did'n know where else ta go."

"Oh," was about the best response Cloud could come up with, making him wish he could kick himself for such a lame effort.

Then he realised he was only wearing his towel and the shower was still running and wondered if that had something to do with why Reno was avoiding him – _Shit –_ "Um… Look…" he started with a bit of embarrassment, and then he pointed his thumb towards the bathroom door, "I'm gonna get dressed." Then he added with a strong concern and a lack of desire to actually leave the redhead on his own for a few minutes as he started towards the door, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," the redhead replied, before he took another large drink from the bottle he was carrying, and then he muttered while staring into space after Cloud closed the door and wondered what he was going to do and where he was going to go, "Jus fine."

* * *

While remaining in the shadows and unseen, there was a perfectly clear view through the window of the scarred redhead sitting at the small table in a room that had been verified as being rented to a man named Cloud Strife.

Vincent couldn't help but feel a slight relief at the fact that the misleading Turk appeared alive and well, despite the fact that he was obviously shaken over something he wasn't telling the ex-Soldier who'd thankfully had the decency to put some clothes on and not take advantage of the redhead while in his seemingly vulnerable state.

"Glad to see you're using your head, Cloud," he said under his breath as he watched the redhead curiously pull the newspaper that was lying on the table towards him.

In all the time Vincent had known about the wayward redhead, never once had he actually seen the man pick up a newspaper or glance sideways at a broadcasting, making him wonder if that was how he'd managed to run into nothing to jog his memory about who he really was.

Despite all that though, Vincent couldn't help but be slightly intrigued over the sudden realization that Reno appeared to know how to read the Wutian language as he watched the man flip through the pages and scan his eyes over them until he stopped when he turned the paper over and saw the front picture of a missing girl with her parents.

For a long moment, he appeared to be focusing on something in the picture, and then he grimaced before bringing his hand to his temple like he'd felt a strong pain.

That wasn't the most curious part though. What caught Vincent's attention even more and set a strange anticipation in motion, was when Reno looked cautiously at the door Cloud was behind and carefully ripped the picture out in a manner not to make a sound, and then he neatly folded it before placing it in his pocket. After that, he folded the newspaper back to the page it was initially on and placed it back where he got it from before turning his attention, dead-on, at Vincent.

_He can't possibly know I'm here, _Vincent thought, and found himself taking a cautious step backwards. Even Cloud could never sense him when he followed him at a safe enough distance. However, knowing he'd gotten a lot of his own abilities from the suddenly attentive redhead who'd warily leaned forward and narrowed his eyes straight at him simply reminded him that Reno wasn't exactly like Cloud either.

* * *

"Sorry I took so long," Cloud interrupted, as he came back out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and sat himself down to open the bottle of rye. He figured he might as well accept the offer, and maybe if he joined the redhead with a few drinks, it might help the other man to loosen up enough to tell him why he was so shaken.

"S'Okay." With a slightly distant air, Reno turned his attention back to the blonde across from him and ran his eyes curiously over him, "Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Ya ever get the feelin yer bein watched?" he asked in regards to a feeling he hadn't been able to shake for the last couple of hours.

"Sometimes," Cloud admitted as he poured some rye into a glass. He always assumed he was just being paranoid though, and wasn't about to admit that to anyone. So, he simply left it at the one-worded answer.

Nodding, Reno took another quick glance into the shadowed hills where he thought he'd imagined an unnatural-looking man crouching there and watching him. _Ghosts…_ he thought to himself, and shrugged at the realization that he didn't really believe in ghosts. But it was the best explanation he could come up with in regards to the appearance of whatever it was that he thought he saw, "You, uh… Ever think ya might be crazy?"

A little surprised at the sudden and unexpected question, Cloud actually choked a bit on his drink and looked at Reno's inquisitive eyes while wondering if Reno was actually asking him if he, himself, was crazy. Of course he thought that; he asked himself that question all the time. But should he answer the man? Then out of sheer defence, he simply asked the man, "Why?" with a bit of an edge to his voice.

"No reason," Reno replied, taking note of the other man's tone and thinking maybe he shouldn't have asked, "Was jus wonderin if… I mean… I dunno how well ya know me…" With a nervous chuckle, he paused long enough to take another unnecessarily large drink from his bottle in order to gain enough courage to admit to the defensive blonde that, "I think I might be." Then he snickered at the admittance and prepared himself to be kicked out at any second.

But all the blonde did was stare at him in confusion while he worked out his thoughts in his head.

"Why's that?" Cloud asked, cautious not to jump to any known conclusions, just in case it was something new the redhead was talking about.

With an uncomfortable shuffle in his seat, he reached into his pocket for a cigarette while trying to collect his thoughts and nearly lit it before realizing he was in someone else's residence. "Oh… Sorry." he apologised, and went to put it back to pull out a toothpick instead, "Can't help but notice ya don't seem ta smoke… I ferget about things like that sometimes… Sorry."

"It's okay," Cloud admitted. He honestly didn't want to do anything to make the redhead feel uncomfortable or want to leave, so he found himself saying and doing something he never would have said or done in the past, "Go ahead." Then he pushed a small plate towards the man to use as an ashtray.

"Thanks," he mumbled in response, and took the blonde up on the offer before blurting out, "I think I'm hearin voices." Then he lit his cigarette and took a shaky drag from it. "Ya probably want me ta leave now… right?" he openly thought, and proceeded to get up while keeping his eyes locked to the surface of the table.

"No!" Cloud said rather rushed, causing the redhead to jump slightly as Cloud stood quickly to stop the man from leaving.

"I mean… I don't…" With a shake to his head, he needed to think about what he was going to say without it seeming desperate or pathetic, "You don't have to go… I…" Stopping again in an attempt to wonder if what he was about to say was appropriate or not, he wound up unable to stop himself and stared embarrassingly at the floor as he admitted, "I already knew," causing the redhead to regard him with an almost forlorn questioning in his eyes.

"So… I am crazy," the redhead quietly confirmed, almost to himself as he turned his eyes to the floor and bit on his bottom lip.

"No… You're just…" Cloud interjected with a shake to his head, remembering everything he learned about the man shortly before and after the explosion at the underground reactor, "You're just… It's not really you."

"I'm not really me?"

"No… I mean…" Taking a step forward, he waved his hand at the confused redhead while trying to explain something in a way that wouldn't shock or upset the man any more than he already was, "It's not really _voices_ that you're hearing."

"I don't understand," Reno admitted, and took a step closer to Cloud in a manner of curiosity.

"Well… from what I understood…" Cloud started, and ran his eyes over the man before looking away and continuing, "Your limit kind of had… has… a personality of its own…" Then he took a step back when he realized how close he was standing to the redhead and explained a little further, "And he can talk to you sometimes…"

After explaining, he turned his eyes back to the attentive redhead and sheepishly added with a bit of an ironic smile and a snort, "But you never liked it when he spoke to you… You… thought you were crazy."

"Yeah…" Suddenly even more curious about his relationship with the blonde, Reno took another step closer to test the waters after he noted the blonde stepped away rather nervously.

_"Tell me, 'Princess', what did your 'lover' tell you? Inquiring minds would 'love' to know."_

"I can trust ya… right?" he asked, with a sudden shake to his head in an attempt to brush away the possibility of that thought.

Shrugging and looking away again, Cloud suddenly realized that the redhead cornered him unknowingly against the wall as he must have been nervously stepping away from each step that Reno took forward, and he admitted his weakness to the man without really elaborating on it, "I'm not really sure."

"Hm."

With a slight grunt, Reno placed his hands in his pockets while leaving his cigarette to dangle out of his mouth, and then he leaned over to catch the blonde's suddenly distant gaze. "Ya seem ta be the only person who's told me anythin that makes sense so far," he mused, and raised his brow when the blonde turned farther away while sinking his head into his shoulders. Then he straightened himself up and looked the ex-Soldier over as he gauged the man, "I dunno why… But ya seem honest."

"I'm not that honest," Cloud distantly admitted, still staring into space.

"Yeah… well…" Reno mused as he stepped back and grabbed his bottle to take another drink, "The fact that ya'd say that ta me, only makes me think the opposite ta be true."

Then he pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and looked the shying blonde over once more while he tried to piece things together. "A lyin man would never admit ta lyin," the redhead pointed out, while he shrugged at the blonde's silence and put his cigarette out on the plate, "Anyway… I can't go back ta my partner… I think I'm in a little more trouble than I initially thought, an I don't wanna take up too much'a yer time either – ya strike me as a man who likes his own company. So…"

"You're going?" Cloud asked, suddenly cutting the man off and straightening up to regard him with a bit of disappointment.

"Yeah… I need ta find a place ta stay fer the night," Reno replied, and started backing away towards the door, figuring he'd overstayed his welcome, and then he sheepishly apologised for hitting the man earlier for no apparent reason, "Sorry 'bout yer head… I don't really know why I did that… So… Sorry."

"Wait!" Suddenly feeling an anxious panic over not being able to locate the man again if he let him leave, Cloud found himself unwillingly lunging forward for the emphasis and making an offer that he knew he shouldn't have been making, "You can stay here."

* * *

"You'll be safe," The ex-Soldier added, causing the redhead to look over at Cloud's sword and then back at him.

"I don't wanna intrude."

"No… it's fine," he consoled, and then he pointed at the bed, "You can have the bed… I'm used to sleeping on the floor anyway."

"Ya sure?" Reno sheepishly asked and took an uncertain look around, almost like he actually did want to stay but didn't want to admit to it.

"Yeah… It's not a problem."

Then the blonde placed his hand passively on Reno's shoulder and motioned for him to sit back down at the table. "I… could actually use a little company right now," he said, almost as if he were trying to convince himself that he simply wanted to be able to keep his eye on the man.

"Well, I don't see why we can't jus share the bed then," Reno mused in a way that suggested he was taking the man up on his offer, "Like I mean… We're both grown adults, right? Ain't nuthin gonna happen…"

_Not good,_ Vincent thought to himself as he remained in the shadows, listening and watching the two men with his enhanced abilities, _I hope he knows better than to let anything happen._

While lowering his face into the mantle of his cloak, Vincent closed his eyes for a moment as he thought it would be a shame for Cloud to wind up back in prison over taking advantage of something that didn't belong to him again. Then he decided he'd seen enough to convince him it was time to share his findings, and he pulled out his PHS to make a call he was sure his old partner was patiently waiting for.

"Tseng…" he quietly said, almost as if he was trying to keep his voice from being heard by the redhead, "He's with Cloud."

* * *

Revised: August 22, 2010


	9. The Crisis Zone

**The Crisis Zone**

* * *

"Tseng… He's with Cloud…"

"Leviathan," the Wutian mumbled as he stepped farther away from the bathroom door that Elena was cleaning herself up from behind. Her vicious tactics at interrogation were messy at best, but at least she got results before Tseng ordered Jared to shoot the men purely out of sympathy, even though they weren't exactly the results they were looking for.

On the bright side though, they found out where the latest Street-Mako production was being conducted and Tseng was able to assign some of his newest Turks to putting a stop to it, "Please tell me nothing's happened."

"You don't need to worry," Vincent consoled, "He's been decent so far."

"So far…" Tseng muttered as his thoughts hung uneasily on those words and a strange static hit the line briefly, _Leviathan._

"Don't worry," Vincent said, "I'll find a way to stop it if it comes to that."

"Good to hear," Tseng quietly replied as he continued to walk farther away to keep his conversation as private as possible. The last thing he needed to do was get Elena wrapped up in the sudden mess that appeared to involve Reno as well. Trying to find their missing daughter was bad enough, "I'll gather some men to retrieve him right away… Do you think you can sedate him? Tests will be required to ensure that it's really him."

"I wouldn't recommend that just yet," Vincent interrupted, and then he elaborated while lowering his voice even more, "He might be your best lead to finding Allysia."

"What do you mean?"

"He's taken a sudden interest to the headline in today's paper."

"So, you're suggesting we should use him," Tseng muttered, and placed the palm of his hand against his forehead in a manner that portrayed he was attempting to ward of a sudden headache.

"He may be your best chance."

"Leviathan…"

* * *

_Cloud…_

If Rufus hadn't heard it himself, he never would have believed it. But as things stood, he'd been tracking Tseng all day in a manner of the suspicion he hadn't been able to shake since he tapped into the man's conversation the evening before.

Unfortunately, the only thing that really seemed to sink in at that moment, as the progressively darkening gaze took precedence and the blood trickled down his arm from the shattered phone he held with ghostly white knuckles, was Cloud's name.

_Cloud…_

Exactly how in the hell Cloud's name had managed to pop up in regards to who Reno was with was beyond even Rufus' wildest imagination. As far as he knew, that home-wrecking whore of a man was in prison. And as far as Rufus was concerned, the man could rot there for all of eternity too.

_How_, Rufus thought to himself, was it even _possible_ for that man to be anywhere _near_ Reno? "This isn't fucking funny," he muttered bitterly as the ashes on his idling cigarette toppled over in his negligent hand, and then he got up and pushed his desk across the room, breaking one of the legs on it as it lodged partially into the wall.

"Of _all_. The _fucking._ _PEOPLE_!" he shouted at no one in particular while he stood in his office, hunched predatorily with his focus on the door. Then he started chuckling like a madman and took a drag from his cigarette as the heated end hit the filter, causing him to curse at it like it was the cigarette's fault for what was happening, and he whipped it in the same direction as his desk.

"This has _got_ to be a joke," he said, like he was almost convinced that his father was somehow behind it. Then he brought his hands to the sides of his head as if he were trying to keep his brain from exploding out of his skull before he slumped to a crouch and wound up screaming at the floor, "ARE YOU FUCKING HAPPY _NOW_?"

However, his father was nowhere to hear the question.

* * *

"I think I should sleep on the floor," Cloud muttered while re-filling his glass and thinking it would be easier on him if he didn't have to sleep that close to the man.

"Ya sure?" Reno asked with his brow raised, before he added with a sheepish grin, "I mean… I don't wanna put ya out, Man… Maybe I should sleep on the floor."

"No."

With a subtle shake to his head after taking another drink, Cloud looked the man over with a tilt to his head and insisted that Reno could have the bed, and that he'd sleep on the floor. "It's not that big of a deal," he added with a careless shrug, before taking another drink again and suddenly thinking that he probably shouldn't have been drinking, "I'm used to it."

"I can't do that, Man," Reno assuredly commented, and nervously tapped his fingers on the table, suddenly wanting another cigarette, "I mean… It's yer room… Ya paid fer it an all… It jus don't seem right fer ya ta hafta sleep on the floor… Ya know what I mean?"

Shrugging at the futility over who got the bed, Cloud realized Reno hadn't lost his touch when it came to being difficult and let out a deep sigh before shaking his head at the man. "I'm not gonna win with you…" he muttered while suddenly staring at the label on the bottle, and then he turned his attention to the redhead with a slight mixture of admiration and defeat, "Am I?"

"Well…" Reno started, and then he paused in thought for a moment before walking the disagreement back to a full circle, "We could always go with my first suggestion an jus share the damned bed…" Then he leaned over and playfully added, "It ain't like I'm gonna bite ya, Man."

_"Ah… Fuck… What the hell did you bite me for?"_

_"What'sa matter? Ya can't handle a little nibble?"_

_"There's a difference between a bite and a nibble… Turn over…"_

_No… You just 'nibble',_ Cloud sarcastically thought while trying to hide a smirk that the memory brought on, and then he unconsciously rubbed at his shoulder as if the mark was still there, "We could always go with mine too."

"Fuck, yer stubborn," Reno pointed out, while wondering what the big deal was. Then he leaned forward with a suddenly impish look in his eyes, "Tell ya what…"

"What?" Cloud cautiously asked and shifted in his seat, not really trusting what the man was going to say.

"Why don't we let the cards decide?"

"What?"

"Ya know… We obviously ain't agreein… So let's bring in a third party arbitrator."

"I had no idea you knew big words like that," Cloud jokingly mused with a faint smirk on his face before taking another drink.

"Ain't?" Reno cockily guessed, and then he chuckled at the younger man before pulling out a deck of cards and sarcastically informing, "'Ain't' really ain't that big of a word." Then he flicked his tongue at the ex-Soldier and placed the deck on the table. "In fact," he added with a strange seriousness and puzzlingly added, "It isn't even a real word."

Trying his best not to get too overly impressed by the strangeness of the man, Cloud folded his arms and sat back in a curious study, not even realizing that the two men were suddenly able to simply lock eyes without feeling uncomfortable anymore, "You carry a deck of cards around with you?"

"Yeah…" the redhead shrugged, like it was a perfectly normal thing to do, "Get bored sometimes."

"Okay, then…" Cloud started, deciding he'd play along out of sheer curiosity as to how a deck of cards was going to decide his fate for the night, "How do you plan on letting a deck of cards decide?"

"Well… Let's see…" Reno mused, while he expertly shuffled the cards and raised his brow, "We have four suits, right?"

"Sure."

"Okay… So… Hearts – I get the bed, cuz I'm jus so damn loveable…"

"I beg to differ."

"Whatever," Reno brushed off, and then he continued without changing his mind about being loveable, "We'll let Spades say that you get the bed then, cuz ya seem a little pissy, an spades'r kind'a like the _black_ card."

"Pissy."

"Yeah… Ya don't think I'm loveable," Reno elaborated with a grin while focusing on the cards, "So, that jus means yer pissy."

"Hm," Cloud grunted, trying his damnedest not to show his amusement by smiling.

"Diamonds'll decide that we both sleep on the bed, cuz they're kind'a the same no matter what way ya turn 'em… Ya know… So they represent _equality_," he emphasised in order to suggest that he still felt his idea was best.

"And what about clubs?"

"We both get the floor," Reno flat out said, without any thought to it whatsoever, and then he added just as quickly, "Cuz normally when ya get clubbed, that's where ya wind up anyway."

"Is this what you do in your spare time?" Cloud asked and sat forward to re-fill his glass again, not even realizing he'd managed to finish the other glass off already.

"Whatcha mean?"

"Sit there and think up crazy things like that all the time?"

"I dunno," Reno admitted, and smiled a little sheepishly, "Yer supposed ta know me… You tell me?"

With another shake to his head, he couldn't help but let himself finally smile at the man as the redhead finished shuffling and placed the cards on the table before tapping them twice out of habit and then cutting the deck. Then he nodded at Cloud to pick up the top card to find out what their fate was going to be.

"I hope this isn't how you make _all_ of your decisions," Cloud muttered with a toying scepticism before he picked up the top card and locked his eyes with Reno's, briefly, before turning it over for them both to see.

"Hm," Reno grunted and stared at the card, "Tough break."

"I'll get you some blankets," Cloud offered, and tossed the spade at the redhead before tauntingly adding as he got up, "If only you'd gone with my first suggestion."

"The floor ain't that bad," Reno admitted, and then he neatly gathered his cards together before putting them away and getting up to help Cloud while musing, "Woken up on quite a few of them after one too many."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Cloud mumbled, right before the redhead tripped over the small rug again and Cloud caught him before the man hit his head on the table when he went to grab it for support and missed, "Damn it! Reno!"

With a slight frustration over the man's inane ability to regard his surroundings at all costs, Cloud suddenly found himself pulling the redhead back to his feet and then running his fingers over the bruises on his face with an inability to hide his concern any longer, "Your… Partner? Did this… didn't he?"

"Yeah," Reno answered, just barely above a whisper while sadly running his eyes over the blonde due to the fact that he knew he was in a situation that he had absolutely no control over, and he really didn't know how he was going to get out of it; leaving him with the only hope that maybe the blonde he barely knew, standing in front of him, would help.

"Why?" Cloud asked while wrapping his arm around the thinner man's waist more securely.

"Because… I was… with… y – nmph."

* * *

_Not good._ Vincent suddenly realized, as every fibre of his being was set on edge from the two men that were suddenly all over one another. He would have seen it coming if it wasn't for the swarm of razor weeds that came out of nowhere, leaving him no choice but to silently try and get rid of them all after taking a few hits.

_Cloud,_ He growled in his head, _He's not worth the risk._

Realizing he'd taken one too many hits himself by trying to go about things the quiet way, Vincent dug into his pocket to try and find a sedative in hopes he could ward off the chances of his limit taking over as he attempted to make his way quickly down the hills and into Cloud's room. There wasn't really any time to put much thought into how, exactly, he was going to just barge in there though.

Well, given the escalation of the heat between the two who hadn't been with anyone for longer than, well Vincent didn't really know how to finish that thought, nor did he really care. Barging in seemed like a good enough plan as he watched Cloud grab Reno's leg and pull his knee so that it was suggestive of having the redhead wrap his legs around him.

Thank Gaia they were both still dressed, he thought. After all, there was no doubt in his mind that lives were definitely at stake if he didn't do something to interrupt them before they managed to go any further.

But it was turning into one of those evenings, apparently, where nothing really seemed to go as planned, particularly when the red-cloaked man was struck from behind by the natural ability of the Garuda he didn't notice, to cast Bolt2.

_Gaia… No… Not now…_ Vincent prayed as he fell forward with a sharp pain that started growing from somewhere deep within, and the subtle spasms of Chaos started to brew at a rate that he couldn't hold back. All the while, he was unable to pay much mind to the colourful bird-like creature closing in for its meal while he set all his focus on trying to hold back long enough to take his sedative.

Unfortunately, the creature struck him again and he dropped it somewhere in the tall grass.

_No… _he silently cried, as he tried to blindly dig around for another one in hopes that he could still ward off the inevitable.

_Mind over matter… Mind over matter… You can stop it… Focusss… Gahiah…_

_"Nuh-hoh…"_

_"I'm sure you'll appreciate the gift you've been given… It's sure to be a 'wild' ride… In fact, you could even say that it might help you put a certain perspective on 'Chaos' and order…"_

"GRRRAAAAUGGGHHH!"

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Reno asked with a surprised gasp when Cloud pulled his mouth away and yanked his hand out of the man's pants before letting go of him, causing Reno to fall to the floor from the sudden lack of balance and support.

"I know that sound," Cloud answered distantly while suddenly staring alarmingly out the window through the small gap in the gently blowing curtains, "Fuck."

Then he stepped over the baffled redhead and grabbed his sword before straightening out his shirt that Reno nearly tore off of him. "Are you gonna be all right here on your own for a bit?" he asked, while he grabbed his sheath and threw it over his shoulder before placing his blade in it.

"Sure?" Reno answered, not really knowing what the hell was suddenly going on as he sat there with his legs sprawled and his zipper undone. But he'd come to the conclusion that he might never know, particularly with everything that'd happened that day already. So, he might as well just go with whatever it was that was suddenly going on.

Stopping for a moment to regard the confused man on the floor, Cloud realized that he'd probably just thrown one of the best opportunities in a long time right out the window and knelt down in front of the man with a strong look of regret. "Promise me you won't go anywhere," he pleaded with his hand on the man's face to passively keep his attention in his direction.

"'Kay?"

_Gaia… I've completely fucked up._

With a slight hesitation, Cloud leaned forward with reluctance over what he really wanted to do, knowing that he probably shouldn't pursue it any further than he already did. But then he thought, _Fuck it,_ and kissed Reno again anyway.

_Gaia, I've missed you._

Then he got up and walked towards the door to go and help Vincent, "I'll be right back."

"All right?"

_What the fuck just happened?_

* * *

"WHEN IN THE HELL WERE YOU PLANNING ON TELLING ME THAT RENO WAS ALIVE AND THAT HE WAS WITH _CLOUD!_?" Rufus frantically yelled as he stormed into his apartment and violently slammed the door behind him to face a suddenly paled Tseng and a completely confused Elena.

"What?" she breathed out in shock, and turned her widened eyes from Rufus to Tseng in complete bewilderment, "Reno's alive?"

_Oh dear…_

This wasn't exactly what the slender Wutian had in mind when it came to letting Rufus know what was going on. "Rufus…" Tseng calmly said with his hands raised to try and get the crazed blonde to calm down, "I was going to tell you once I had proof that it was really him."

"So… In the meantime…" Rufus mused as he started to walk around the sofa to get closer to Tseng, who'd managed to counter Rufus' maniacal advancement by keeping the sofa between them as much as possible, "You figured it would be all right to leave someone that might _possibly_ be Reno with someone like _CLOUD?"_

"Calm down Rufus!"

"No," he sang out like a lunatic, "I will _not_ calm _down_!"

"What's the big deal?" Elena asked, not knowing what the history was between them all, "Won't Cloud keep an eye on him?"

_Dear Leviathan,_ Tseng thought as he closed his eyes in hopes that Elena didn't just say what he thought she just said.

"What?" Rufus angrily asked, and glared at her like she'd suddenly sprung a second head.

"Well…" she stammered and shrunk back a bit, "Won't he be safe with Cloud?"

Suddenly laughing at her like a complete maniac, Rufus pointed his finger at her and raised his brow at Tseng in a mixture of question and accusation, "This is un-_fucking_ believable, Tseng. Do you keep secrets from _everyone_?"

"Rufus!"

"Don't you raise your voice at _me_!" Rufus growled, and then he started to walk around the sofa again as Tseng countered by moving in the opposite direction, "There's only _two _ways that that home-wrecking _whore_ could have gotten out of prison!"

"Rufus… Let me explain."

"Explain what?" he asked with a mocking tilt to his head, "That you're the only other person who has the authority to release that _Jezebel_?"

"That's enough!" Tseng commanded, "You know as well as I do that Cloud should have never been in prison to begin with!"

"So, you went above my head and released him?"

"Cloud was in prison?" Elena asked with a slight surprise to her voice. And why was Rufus calling him a whore?

"Elena," Tseng muttered, before pursing his lips and subtly shaking his head in a manner to tell her to keep quiet while Rufus laughed at him again.

"You didn't tell her _that_ either?" Then Rufus smirked with a snort and motioned his hand at Tseng while sarcastically musing, "Well, at least we know who'll keep our secrets safe," before he cynically muttered with a lowered head and his eyes darkly glaring at the man, "If not his own."

At that, Rufus let out another sharp snort and pulled out his gun to check the cartridge before he gave Tseng one more look of disapproval and brushed his hand haphazardly through his hair. "Consider yourself a lucky woman, Elena," he commented in a cynical tone, "There are not many trustworthy confidents out there that will take your secrets to the grave with them like Tseng will."

"What are you doing, Rufus?" Tseng asked with a forced calm while Elena sat there wide-eyed and not knowing what to do.

"I'm going to Wutai," Rufus assuredly answered, "And I want to make sure I have enough ammunition to finally put an end to that poisonous harlot."

"And then what?"

"And then…" Rufus mused before he cocked his brow and put his gun back in his holster, "I'm going to bring Reno home."

"Even if he doesn't want to come?" Tseng asked in an attempt to try and sway Rufus from his insane plan, "If you know he's still alive and that he's with Cloud, than you must also know his memories aren't all there either."

"All the more reason to _not _leave him with _Cloud_!"

"Rufus!" Tseng yelled with a lack of composure, "He might be working with the enemy!"

"Oh," Rufus said with a suddenly bizarre interest, and then he cocked his brow before sitting in the chair at his desk with his legs crossed while musically piping out, "Since you put it that way… I suppose leaving someone as deadly and knowledgeable of Shinra as Reno in the hands of the enemy is a _much _better idea than leaving him in the hands of a conniving _slut_ who just wants to get into his pants… Yes…"

While crossing his arm in front of him, he rested the elbow of the other atop it so he could mockingly tap his fingers on his lips to make it seem like he was truly contemplating the cleverness of the plan, "I do believe that this may very well be one of your most brilliant plans, Tseng."

Then he leaned forward to emphasise his cutting interest, "Please… do tell me of the advantages to such a clever scheme, since I am obviously not gifted with the same ingenious quality that you seem to possess." After that, he sat back and crossed his legs again to wait for the explanation while adding, "After all, _my_ idea is simply _crazy_ in comparison to yours."

"Rufus!" Tseng interjected with annoyance at the younger President's mockery, "If Reno is with the enemy than he _might_ know where Allysia is!"

"So you want to track him."

"Yes," Tseng admitted, before adding with a lowered voice, "And if that means he needs to be left with Cloud in order to do so, then I'm willing to do that."

"Well that's awfully thoughtful of you," Rufus mused with a continued edge, "You _are _aware that we are talking about a man who _voluntarily_ dropped a section of the _Plate_ on a _whole_ Sector, aren't you?"

Leaning forward again, Rufus uncrossed his legs and rested his elbows on them while digging out a cigarette, "A _Sector_ that was populated by women and _children… _Not to mention the women and _children_ that also_ lived_ on that part of the _Plate_. And I do believe that you are aware of several of his other past dealings, including his acts of _kidnapping_, aren't you?"

"Oh, dear Gaia…" Elena muttered and put her hand over her mouth, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Hm," Rufus carelessly mumbled at her, and then he lit his cigarette, "Indeed."

"He's our best chance," Tseng quietly said, knowing full-well how ugly things were capable of getting.

"Ah, yes."

With a long enough pause to take a drag from his cigarette, Rufus cocked his brow and then brushed his hand through his hair before continuing.

"A highly trained and crazed maniac with no memory under the possible misleading guidance of one of our most elusive and dangerous enemies… That certainly _does _sound like our best chance. And let us not forget…" Rufus added with is finger in the air, "That he has an unstable limit that is even more psychotic than he is. Yes… I must say, putting something like that in the hands of our enemy could definitely be a most lucrative lead."

After nervously smoothing his hair back while trying to avoid Elena's bewilderment over the way that Rufus was scaring the hell out of his wife in regards to suddenly having some crazed and out of control lunatic knowing where her daughter was, Tseng closed his eyes and sat down in the chair nearest to him.

"That's right, Rufus," he resignedly muttered, "There is no reasoning with you. You're always right." Then he smacked his hands on the arms of the chair as if he was stricken with a sudden thought and decided to get back up.

"Well. Let's go to Wutai and get your precious possession back since you obsess over him so much. Perhaps we can save him in time before he winds up blowing up the planet and having sex with Cloud. After all, the most appropriate place for him to be is in your unrelenting death-grip."

After that, he bowed his head respectively to Rufus and mockingly added, "Forgive me for forgetting how important and nurturing your suffocating hold on that man was. I didn't know what I was thinking."

"You _shut_ your fucking mouth!" Rufus suddenly warned, as he got up threateningly and pointed his finger at him, "If anyone is guilty of suffocating _anyone_, it's you!"

With a chilling grin turning at the corner of Tseng's mouth, he narrowed his eyes rather prettily at the younger President as if to taunt him, catching Elena's curious attention and causing Rufus to step back as if he was being threatened or warned. Then the slender Wutian dug into his pocket to pull out his custom-made gloves that he only wore for business, and proceeded to put them on while still holding an amused turn to the corner of his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Rufus asked with a suddenly tight throat.

"Well, I'm ready to go," Tseng said with an almost anticipating tone, "I'll be waiting for you in the car, Rufus.

"I'll continue with my dead-end search for my daughter in the manner with which I've been conducting. I'm sure by the time we find her we'll be able to identify her. And…" he calmly added as he stopped with his back to the room, "With Reno at our side, perhaps he can help us out with the DNA tests to confirm my daughter's remains."

"Oh, Gaia…" Elena muttered in an almost sickly way, right before the hollow sound of the safety being pulled back on Rufus' gun filled the room.

"You think I don't know what you're trying to do?"

* * *

_Shit! _Cloud thought to himself as he ran as fast as he could towards the direction of the Chaotic shriek he'd heard. _Of all the fucking times!_

It was for the better though; he knew that. But it didn't mean he had to like it or appreciate it. And what the hell was Vincent doing in Wutai anyway? _Is he following me?_ _Gaia…_ He really hoped the pale man didn't see anything. In fact, the last thing he really wanted anyone seeing was him grabbing his fist into the back of Reno's hair and ramming his tongue down the man's throat before pressing him roughly against the wall for the added support.

_Way to go Cloud, _he inwardly chastised himself, _Just advertise it to everyone._

All the while, he was digging around in his pack for the sedative he hoped he still had and readying his sword in case Vincent needed any help. Of course, that was a silly thought, really. Because it was highly possible that it wasn't Vincent anymore, and Chaos didn't really need anyone's help. If anything, Cloud would wind up having to protect himself against it.

"Vincent!" he yelled, as he cautiously approached the mass of dead razor weeds and spilled blood with parts of what looked like they could have been from a Garuda or a Foulander, or both, scattered all over the place.

_Shit…_

Not only was Cloud concerned for Vincent anymore, he was suddenly concerned over doing his best to keep Chaos from running amok in the small Village not that far away from them.

"Chaos?" he quietly asked as he carefully stepped over the freshly torn pieces of half-eaten meat and readied his sword in a manner of defence.

"Chaos…" he said again, a little louder than before in hopes that the man or the beast was still nearby, "It's me… Cloud."

Suddenly stopping with a bit of alarm, Cloud heard the strange and familiar dripping sound that accompanied the chattering teeth when the creature was uncertain of something, making it a little more dangerous and unpredictable as well.

"Chaos?" he calmly asked again, and carefully turned around so as not to alarm the beast, "Do you remember me?"

With an inquisitive lift to his brows, Cloud leaned in a way to make himself seem like less of a threat and proceeded to place his blade on the ground while the red-eyed, winged creature watched with its teeth bared and clicking as its drool ran down its chin.

_I don't think he remembers me…_ Cloud thought to himself, and slowly pulled the cap off the sedative in a way to avoid setting off any kind of trigger to encourage the beast to attack.

Of course, he should have known better by that point that nothing ever went as planned, and the moment Cloud got the cap fully off, he was on his back and face to face with the demonic-like creature as its foul breath smothered his senses and its claws dug into the front of Cloud's shoulders.

"Nnng," Cloud grunted as he ran his hand searchingly over the ground to find the sedative he'd lost while trying to simultaneously soothe the creature. The last thing he wanted to do was wind up killing the beast – Cloud never really had anything against Vincent. But it sure as hell would have been easier.

"Vincent," he said with a grimace, in hopes that Vincent was still somewhat consciously aware somewhere inside, "Can you hear me?"

But all he received as a response was a snarl and a dangerous snap of the teeth near the side of his face as he quickly turned away to try and see if he could still see the damned sedative.

_Fuck…_

"C'mon, Chaos…" Cloud calmly said, "I know it's been a while… But try to remember me."

While trying his best to buy himself a little time to find the shot, Cloud wound up grunting as the claws left his shoulders and tore down his sides before he was thrown a great distance from where he was, just as he grabbed the shot and managed to get it into Chaos' back.

"Remember Tifa?" he quickly asked, and manoeuvred to avoid being hit by the winged beast coming towards him, "Or Barret?"

Then he quickly moved out of the way and attempted to hit the plunger on the shot sticking out of the creatures back as a heavy branch came tumbling down where he was only a moment ago.

"No?" he asked, and then he hit the back of the beast with a flimsy branch that he grabbed from the ground as hard as he could, more so in hopes of getting the plunger instead of actually doing any damage, "Don't tell me you don't remember Yuffi."

With a few quickened breaths, the creature slumped to its knees with a forlorn howl, while Cloud panted with his back to the painful metamorphosis and dug out a potion. In all honesty, he never could stomach watching the change, and he kept his attention in the opposite direction until he heard the weakened mention of his name after he finished off what was in the vial.

"Cloud…"

"Vince."

"It's good to see you again."

With a nod, Cloud turned around to see the exhausted man lying on the ground, still sporting the wounds of whatever it was that set Chaos off. Then he pulled out another potion to offer to the man as he quickly crawled over to him.

But the offer was refused and Vincent tugged on his arm to show that he had a gold armlet equipped with mastered Restore and Barrier materia, Both accompanied by All, and then he weakly muttered out, "Cure2," in between laboured breaths, and they both grimaced from the reversal.

"Where's Reno?" Vincent asked, the moment he realized that Cloud was by himself.

"I left him in my room."

"You left a man who has a tendency to run… alone in your room?"

_Shit._

* * *

"What am I trying to do, Rufus?" Tseng challengingly asked, still not turning around to face the angry President.

"You're trying to guilt me into changing my mind."

"Guilt?" Tseng curiously asked with a quirk to his brow, and then he turned around to face the man with a stoic expression, "I'd never attempt such a thing. It would most certainly be a wasted effort."

Suddenly snorting out a laugh through his nose, Rufus' eyes darkened before his finger pressed ever so lightly on the trigger, "You fucking –"

"Hold that thought," Tseng commanded as his PHS started to ring and he pulled it out to check the number while Rufus cocked his brow in curiosity.

"Who is it?"

"Vince."

"_Vince_?" Rufus repeated sarcastically, "And what exactly would _Vince_ want at _this_ hour?"

"I don't know," Tseng answered while staring daggers at Rufus' contemptuous and immature behaviour.

"Well, then… _answer_ the fucking thing!"

With a nod and pursed lips, Tseng couldn't really hide the fact that he was less than impressed with Rufus at that moment, and he hit the button on his phone to find out what it was that Vincent wanted.

"Vince… Yes… Is everything all right…? Leviathan… No… What? How did that happen? Goodness… No… Oh no… Good to hear… Yes… Do what you can…"

After Tseng hung up and let out a shaky breath, he wiped at his brow in a semblance of wiping the sudden stress away. Dealing with an overwrought and insecure Rufus and the fact that Reno was with Rufus' greatest threat was one thing. But losing the only lead that he had in hopes of finding his daughter was a completely different thing all together.

"Well?" Rufus asked with his gun impatiently tapping on his thigh, "What did he say?"

"They lost Reno," he shakily said, before smoothing his hair back in a futile manner.

"What the hell do you mean, '_They _lost Reno'?"

"Something happened to Vince, and Cloud ran out to help him while leaving Reno alone in his room."

"In his _room_?"

"Nothing happened, Rufus," Tseng answered with a shake to his head and a wave of his hand. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to leave out the fact that Vincent informed him that something almost did.

"Oh." With a slight surprise, Rufus returned the safety on his gun and placed it back in his holster, "That's a relief."

Shaking his head at the irrational President again, Tseng continued with what Vincent had told him, "When they went back to his room, Reno had left. Apparently, he'd ripped out a newspaper clipping of Allysia, and the boat schedule for the ships leaving Wutai from a paper on Cloud's table."

"Allysia?" Elena piped up after a long silence of simply watching and listening to the two men go at each other's throats, "Do you think he knows where she is?"

"I don't know," Tseng admitted with a sigh, and then he looked at the floor and muttered, "But he stole Cloud's bike and left in a hurry… Suggesting there may have been a ship he was rushing to catch."

Ignoring the sudden snicker from Rufus as he suddenly calmed down and sat cross-legged in the chair again, Tseng elaborated a little further on how Vincent was hot on the elusive redhead's trail and on his way to the shipping lanes as they were speaking in order to continue with his pursuance.

"Well," Rufus piped up after lighting another cigarette, "At least he's not with Cloud."

Then he got up to quickly go into the kitchen and grab the closest bottle of liquor within reach before returning and heading for his room where he could clean the blood from his arm and his hair in the privacy of his own bathroom.

"I certainly hope you'll keep me informed from this point on in regards to your latest findings, Tseng," he said with an undertone of dark accusation before he turned around to face the man as he got to his bedroom door. Then he added with an inability to hide his anger, "And I _want _that charlatan_ tramp_ back in _prison_!"

_Leviathan… I don't even know how he got out…_

He wasn't about to tell Rufus that though, as far as he was concerned, letting the erratic President believe that Tseng was the one to let him out was better than Rufus possibly finding out something else that carried an even greater repercussion.

"Am I hearing all of this right?" Elena asked with a hushed voice as she sat forward in anticipation, trying her best not to be heard from the crazed President on the other side of his bedroom door, "Reno slept with –"

"Leviathan…" he muttered, wishing he wasn't in the position he was in, "It happened after the Serum raid."

"Oh my…" Apparently, Elena had been missing out on quite a lot, "And he's alive?"

"Apparently."

* * *

"I'm going with you," Cloud demanded after Vincent hung up and put his phone away.

"No you're not. You need to stay as far away from Reno as possible. If Rufus finds out –"

"I don't care about Rufus," Cloud insisted and started tossing his belongings back into his bag, "Besides, I need my bike back and you need the help." Then he mumbled under his breath, "I wouldn't mind knowing how he got it running so fast again either."

"I can bring it back to you."

"Don't try to talk me out of this, Vincent. He's in some kind of trouble," Cloud said through his teeth, "And don't bother using your Dream Powder on me either… I'll just find a way to pursue him once I wake up."

"You're not being rational, Cloud."

"Rational… You're one to talk," Cloud muttered, as he swung his bag over his shoulder. "Tell me, Vincent…" he started as he looked over at the pale man leaning tiredly against the wall by his door and hiding his face in the high collar of his mantle, "How rational were _you_ when you were chasing after that crazy scientist's wife?"

Then he ran his eyes bitterly over the man who'd managed to almost hide his entire unnatural appearance behind his hair and tattered cloak, "And if I recall that story correctly, she was _pregnant _with her _husband's _child."

Suddenly feeling guilty over the way Vincent lowered his head farther into his mantle and closed his eyes, Cloud shook his head and muttered out, "Sorry," as he walked by him, "I went too far."

Nodding as Cloud walked out, Vincent stood there for a moment and simply stared at the floor while thinking about where that crush had gotten him before quietly pointing out to no one in particular, "And look at me now…"

As right as Cloud was though, Vincent couldn't help but feel he had to stop the younger man somehow, before he wound up regretting things as much as Vincent did.

* * *

Revised: August 23,2010


	10. Attaining the Prize

**Attaining the Prize**

* * *

"What the hell do you mean, 'You've lost him'?"

"He picked some man's pocket and it turned out to be Cloud."

"Cloud? Cloud… _Strife_?"

"How many people named Cloud do you know?"

"Enough with the bullshit, Marcus. How in the hell did Cloud get out of prison?"

"Apparently, he was released."

"How long ago?"

"Why would I know that?"

"Fuck… For your sake, you'd better get him back _now_, Marcus!" Ten-ji yelled into the PHS before furiously hanging it up. Then he threw it against the wall where it shattered and fell to the floor, "I don't fucking believe this! You tell that little shit to do one fucking thing….! 'Keep an eye on him, Marcus,' I said. 'Make sure nothing happens.' 'How hard can that be?' He says."

Suddenly pacing due to the onslaught of uncontrollable adrenaline running through his system, the stalky-built Wutian brushed a black lock with a silvery band running through it behind his ear in irritation after it fell forward. Then he added angrily while tensing nearly every muscle in his body, "I told that Fucker _not_ to let him out of his _sight_!"

"Trouble with Renault?" Darius smoothly asked, as he walked over to his Boss' cabinet to pour the man a glass of sake in hopes of calming him down.

"Trouble with Renault…" the Wutian muttered back, while he sat roughly in his chair as if he was suddenly exhausted, "Hm… More than likely, it's trouble with fucking Marcus."

Not about to say 'I told you so', the dark Mideelan man simply nodded and handed Ten-ji the drink he poured for him.

Then with nothing more than a grunt as a thank you, the Wutian sat there in thought for a moment before leaning forward and meeting the eyes of his friend and curiously asking, "Did you know Cloud was out of prison?"

"No," Darius replied as he proceeded to seat himself comfortably in the chair across from his boss, "When did that happen?"

"Fucked if I know," came Ten-ji's snide reply as he started tapping his ring on his glass, and then in an attempt to make sense out of everything, he verbally worked his thoughts out, "It must have been during one of Rufus' notorious disappearing acts."

"That doesn't make sense," Darius thoughtfully replied, "Rufus views Cloud as his greatest nemesis."

"Mm," Ten-ji agreed, "Maybe he really has lost his mind."

With a slight chuckle, Darius situated himself more comfortably before voicing his own opinion, "Or maybe it was Tseng… He's another one we keep losing track of."

"That would certainly make more sense," the Wutian mused, and then he looked his friend over and asked, "You just got back from the Villa, right?"

"Yes."

"How's the girl?"

"Frightened," he casually answered, since it was really no surprise, and then he brushed a small piece of lint from his suit-jacket. Then, with a bit of concern he turned his dark brown eyes over to his Boss, "Do you think we should raise the security at the Villa?"

"What for?"

"Well…" he mused as he relaxed a little more, "What if Renault returns to the Villa."

"All the more reason for us to stay here at the office then," the Wutian snidely joked, and then he shook his head before taking a drink and elaborating his thoughts on the matter, "Besides, I don't think he'd go back to the Villa."

"Why not?"

"For one, he knows nothing of the girl, and even if he did, I doubt he'd know who she was, or that he'd even remember her parents. For two, if his memory starts to come back to him, the last place he'll probably want to go is to the Villa."

"Unless he decides to finish what he started all those years ago," Darius reminded him, "If he remembers, he'll know where they all are now."

"Hm."

With a slight distortion to his face over the thought of the gruesome massacres Renault was responsible for before he was taken in by the Turks several years ago, Ten-ji tapped his ring on his glass again while looking out the window of his Kalm-located office and let out an almost bored-sounding sigh.

"From what I understand, his memories aren't likely to hit him like that."

Then he turned his attention back over to Darius and added with a sarcastic tone, "And if Marcus knows what's good for him, he'll turn on that fucking tracking system and get Renault back and under control before anything that out-of-hand happens."

* * *

It was the last ship leaving Wutai for the evening, and its destination was for the Grasslands near the Midgar area. That was fine though. Even though it wasn't his destination, it at least got him on the right continent and only two hours from where he wanted to go.

Then from there, he could take Cloud's bike, which he brought on board with him, to get to the location he was aiming for. It was a three hour trip at best across the ocean, and even though that was something he wasn't particularly fond of, there wasn't much he could do about it.

After all, it was the only attainable way off of Wutai within the time-frame he felt he had, and he decided he could always bide his time in ways that would help him keep his mind off the lengthy duration of the trip. So with a tune stuck in his head that he just couldn't resist whistling out as he walked the deck of the large ship, he couldn't help but set his curious attention on a beautiful and young blonde with baby-blue eyes that had her fine hair pinned up with a very attractive clip.

_Hm, _he thought to himself, as he almost walked by and found himself irresistibly drawn to it. As a result, he wound up finding himself standing beside her and pointing out what a lovely evening it was in a very educated way.

Catching her attention, she leaned back slightly and looked the man over, taking note of the apparently expensive black suit he was neatly adorned in and the long crimson hair that was tied back with something that looked like a string.

She might have been impressed if it wasn't for the scars on his face that set off a slight warning that he might not have been within the class he was presenting himself in. But his grammar was impeccable, despite the strong rasp that his voice carried and it left her somewhat confused and curious about the story behind him.

And as the minutes passed, she found herself wrapped up in an intelligent conversation with the man and finding herself almost enchanted by him from the puzzling inconsistencies in his appearance. Maybe he was a victim of some sort, she thought, in an attempt to make sense out of the scars and the voice, and she was nearly ready to take him up on whatever offer she might find herself presented with.

But what he said next, kind of took her off guard.

"That's a really pretty hairclip you're wearing," he commented, and she couldn't help but note that he seemed more interested in the clip than in her.

"Pardon me?" she asked, wondering if she'd heard him right. But then again, maybe it was his way of complimenting her, and she blushingly moved her hand back to draw attention to it while commenting that it was an old family heirloom.

_Liar…_

"Would you be interested in selling it?" he asked, as he straightened up and met her eyes as if he was serious.

"What?"

A little taken back, she found herself speechless and suddenly not sure where things were going all the sudden.

"I'd like to buy it," he answered, and then he pulled out his wallet and confessed, "To be honest, it's the only appealing thing I noticed about you."

Suddenly insulted and not knowing how to respond, the only thing she was able to get out was, "Are you serious?"

"Yes," he assuredly answered, as if he hadn't said anything unusual, and then he pulled out one-thousand Gil and showed it to her while saying with a tilt to his head to pretty-much show that he knew she was full of shit, "Since you say it's an heirloom, I assume this will make up for the loss."

* * *

"Where do you think he's going?" Cloud asked, as he and Vincent entered the private shipping lanes to see if they could find alternate transport since the next ship leaving Wutai wouldn't be for another seven hours.

"I'm not sure," he answered, as he attentively looked around while keeping his appearance hidden as much as he could, "That last ship was going to the Grasslands." With that being said, Vincent figured it would be the best place to start.

"The Grasslands…" Cloud mused, as he followed cautiously behind and worried about what Reno was planning, "You don't think he's going back to Shinra, do you?"

"No," Vincent assuredly answered, rewarding himself with a suspicious glance from the ex-Soldier.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because he told you Shinra was responsible for the state he was in now."

Figuring the information he managed to gather from Cloud on their way to the shipping lanes would have been a good enough reason for Reno to avoid Shinra, Vincent decided that it simply seemed logical.

"Hm," Cloud mumbled, wondering if there was something the ex-Turk wasn't telling him. "That newspaper clipping…" he started, as they continued to search for a transport operating at the late hours, "The one he took… What was it?"

"You didn't read the paper?"

"I don't read Wutian."

"Then why did you buy it?"

"It was in my room when I got there." With a shrug, Cloud stopped behind Vincent when the man finally found someone that appeared to still be open.

_Strange, _Vincent thought to himself. The picture pretty much spoke for itself, and then he realized, "You didn't look at it?"

"I didn't see a point."

Sinking his face farther into his mantle, Vincent said, "Junon," to the operator and then handed him some Gil.

_He doesn't know._

Then to elaborate in hopes that maybe Cloud could help him with his other concern in regards to finding Tseng's daughter, he decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him, "It was a picture of Tseng's daughter, along with Tseng and Elena."

"You think he recognised them?"

"I'm not sure." Then he let his hair fall farther in front of his face as they boarded the small ferry before he elaborated further, "She'd gone missing a couple of days ago."

"Their daughter?" Cloud asked, with a sudden concern that he was unable to hide. He may not have cared much for Shinra or the Turks, but a child was still a child.

"Yes."

"So, you think he might be going after her," Cloud pointed out as he put the pieces together, but still not quite understanding why that would be.

_I have no idea what he's going after, _Vincent thought. But he decided to keep his musings to himself. Listening always bared better results than talking as far as he was concerned.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not telling me?"

_Probably because you're right._

Keeping silent again, Vincent walked over to the farthest and darkest end of the deck to rest against the railing as the ferry started to move, leaving Cloud to watch him with a slight scepticism.

* * *

Pulling his tie loose in annoyance and then wrapping it around his wrist and tucking the ends to keep it neat, Reno stood on the docks of his destination, reading the signs in search for items and direction.

He wasn't the least bit concerned about the odd looks he was getting when he started to unbutton his shirt and pull it out of his pants. He figured most people had seen stranger things than a man purposely dishevelling his suit and fastening a prettily adorned clip into his hair while standing next to an obviously oversized and overpowered bike.

Sweet ride though, he thought, and started chuckling to himself while gaining the rewards of even more sideways glances than he'd already received.

Then, with the return of that annoying tune in his head again, he decided he'd start whistling it out in order to expel it from his mind while commencing to push the bike forward. But then he stopped when he noticed a beautiful young woman wearing a very lovely pearl necklace, and he simply couldn't resist.

The clasp on it was amazing.

* * *

_What the hell?_ Cloud thought to himself, as he listened to the stories Vincent was collecting from the people on the docks of the fairly new town located near the shores. It all started when they overheard one of the guard's mentioning something about finding a half-naked man in the men's washroom back in Wutai; someone had apparently attacked him and stolen his clothes, a black suit, and then left the man with nothing but a ratty brown cloak to wear.

But that wasn't the strangest story they'd heard as they continued with their search. Apparently, some man paid one thousand Gil to a woman for a cheap hair-clip, and then a man wearing a hairclip bought a pearl necklace off of another woman for triple what he paid for the hairclip. Then he offered the expensive pearl necklace, minus the clasp, to a little girl for her cheap, instant camera.

"Do you think he's doing this on purpose?" Cloud thought out loud, "To leave a trail?"

"I don't know," Vincent answered honestly, because even for Reno, Ren, Renault… or whoever the hell he'd managed to turn into, this was by far the strangest thing he'd ever done.

Well, with a little more research, the two men discovered that a red-haired man wearing a woman's hairclip purchased an outrageous number of fishhooks and a rather unnecessary amount of fishing line in different diameters shortly after he started asking people what the fastest path to Kalm was.

"I told him he didn't need that much line," the man at the shop said, "Fishin's always been good in this area. But then he said he was goin to Kalm… and I thought 'Who the hell fishes in Kalm?'"

_Curious._

"But who am I to argue with someone who's offering me double what I'm askin for, eh?"

_Kalm, _Vincent thought, not really paying too much attention to the shop-keeper's rambling as he felt a deepening sense of urgency, _Something tells me he isn't going fishing._

With a careful look over to Cloud who'd turned his attention to one of the displays on the wall, Vincent decided that he really needed to think of something to lose the man as fast as he could. After everything he'd learned from him in regards to who let him out, the clause involved, and the fact that Kalm wasn't really all that far from Midgar, things could become rather complicated quite quickly.

So, with a quick thought and an uncanny movement that was too swift for anyone to notice, Vincent slipped a tagged item into Cloud's pack in hopes that it would set off the alarms when he tried to leave. Then just as unnaturally, he disappeared before anyone even noticed he'd gone.

_Forgive me, Cloud._

But it was too dangerous and too much was at risk to let him come along.

* * *

"_Vince,_" Tseng said as quietly as he could after being startled awake by the low ring of his PHS sitting on the nightstand by the bed. Then he took a quick glance around as his eyes adjusted and he hit the light on his watch to check the time.

"Tseng."

"What's going on?"

"He's going to Kalm."

Almost feeling like his heart stopped for a moment, Tseng's voice caught in his throat and he reached over for a shirt to loosely throw on as he quickly got up and left the room. _Leviathan…_ he thought, as he crept over to the balcony and quietly opened it to find himself some better privacy.

"Tseng?"

"I'm still here," he quietly assured, and then he took a deep breath and leaned against the stone wall by the rail before barely whispering, "Rufus never let Cloud out."

Following Tseng's sudden lack of composure as he confided his findings was a hesitant, "I know."

"Leviathan… Why weren't we informed that he escaped?"

"Because he didn't," was the reply Tseng was hoping he wouldn't hear.

"I don't understand." Not really meaning it, he was at least hoping he could convince himself that he did, and then he rubbed at his upper lip to wipe away the imaginary sweat.

"You're not going to like what I'm going to tell you."

"Say it anyway."

After a short break of silence, Vincent wound up telling Tseng everything the ex-Soldier told him in regards to his release, "He was convinced it was Rufus."

"You didn't tell him otherwise, did you?"

"I felt it was best not to."

"Good call," Tseng muttered, and then he asked for some sign of futile assurance while knowing he wasn't going to get it. "Tell me this isn't happening," he basically pleaded, while smoothing the loose strands of his hair back that got caught in the breeze, "Tell me this has nothing to do wi –"

"I think you should tell Rufus. If it's what we both suspect…"

"I can't tell him just yet," Tseng confessed, and slid down the wall to sit on the hard concrete, "It would devastate him." Then he added, "Especially if it's what we suspect." And as far as Tseng knew, Rufus was already devastated enough as it was.

"I'm sorry," Vincent apologised, "If I'd known, I wouldn't have –"

"It wasn't your fault," Tseng muttered, not really wanting to hear the rest of the sentence and staring at the balcony door in fear of what ghosts might have been listening. Then he pulled himself together as best as he could and asked Vincent to let him know the moment he located Reno's exact location again.

In the mean time, he had to figure out exactly what he was going to tell Rufus, and how.

And then he thought, maybe it wasn't really that bad of an idea to bring Reno back home. Maybe he could help them from the inside.

Then… Maybe… Rufus' spirits would be high enough for Tseng to feel confident enough to tell him something he'd kept hidden from him all of the younger President's life.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" asked one of the men to the other as they sat lazily on the terrace outside. They were assigned to keep an eye on the grounds outside of Ten-ji's Villa, located on the outskirts of Kalm. Neither of them ever really knew why though.

Nothing exciting ever happened due to the place being well-secured and kept secret, and as a result, they often sat outside, drinking, and not taking their assignments very seriously. There was ten of them altogether, and although they felt there was never any substance to their Boss' paranoia, they still continued with their rounds in a manner to remain compliant to their paycheques.

"Sounds like Murry had one too many," the other man jokingly commented, before lighting his cigarette and stretching out his legs.

"Ya think I should go check on him?"

"What the fuck for? He's a grown man."

Only partially agreeing with the sandy-haired man at his side, the younger male couldn't help but feel that the sound he heard didn't quite sound right, and he wound up sitting forward with a nervous anticipation.

"Would ya fuckin relax?" said the older man as he playfully kicked the kid in the calf, and then he chuckled at the boy's inexperience and confided that, "Ain't nuthin ever happens around here."

"I dunno…" the kid said, while shaking his head. Then he looked at his partner's lack of concern and decided the man probably knew best. So in a weird sense of trust, he figured he'd follow his lead. But just as he was about to brush the sound off and sit back, he heard another similar noise in a different direction.

"I think we should check on that," he quietly muttered as he sat up again, "That doesn't sound normal."

Chuckling lightly, the man took another drink and mumbled out, "Normal…" with a slight mockery, "Ain't nothing normal about this place, Kid… Thought ya knew that."

"Hm."

With a shake to his head, he couldn't really disagree. But if one of the guys were out there getting sick, it probably wouldn't hurt to go and check on him just to make sure he was okay. "Well, if you're not gonna come with me, I'll go check on it myself," he said, and got up to start making his way in the general direction of the sound.

"Have fun," the older man tauntingly said as he watched the kid make his way into the woods surrounding the property, and then for kicks, he decided to add with a laugh as the younger male disappeared out of his sight, "You might want to arm yourself, eh?"

"Could say the same ta you," came a quiet and raspy voice from the dark corner of the terrace, just as the kid screamed from the woods at the massacre he was suddenly presented with. Then chuckling as the man jumped from his seat and knocked over his beer, the redhead decided to step forward to reveal himself with a long winding of fishing line draped over his shoulder.

"Fuck!" the man stammered and took a step back before he nervously laughed, "Renault… When the fuck did you get back?"

With a slow shake to his head as he advanced with creeping and unnatural movements, the redhead stepped forward while fastening a hook to the end of one of the lines and chillingly said, "I'd prefer it if ya called me Ren." Then he added as his eyes met the other man's while paying no mind to the gun threateningly pointing at him, "Ya know… When I said ya looked familiar… before?"

"Yea…" the man carefully answered, and then he ran his eyes over the crazed looking maniac slowly advancing towards him as he cautiously took a step back, "Why is Ray screaming?"

"The kid?" Ren asked, with his brow raised in thought, and then he chuckled with a toothy grin while looking maliciously to the side, "My guess would be 'cuz 'e can't 'andle dead people smilin at 'im."

Then he held up two hooks at his cheeks and gave a big smile to the man in semblance of the hooks pulling his grin into play, "Maybe 'e don't think it's as funny as I do."

After that, he chuckled again and ran his fingers along one of the finer lines that was almost invisible while musing like he was really giving it some serious thought, "An maybe 'e got nervous from it'n got caught up in somethin."

"What the _fffuck_ are you on?"

"Nut'n…"

Then like the flip of a coin, the redhead's look turned direly serious before he lunged with an unnatural speed and without warning, and the last thing the other man heard him say was, "Ya _sick. Perverted._ _ASSHOLE_!"

* * *

After another couple of hours passed, Vincent made another call to Tseng as he cautiously walked over the lines spread throughout the woods and witnessed an exasperating aftermath of what looked too disturbing to be real. To add to the unholy mess, photos were taken of each victim with a disconcerting smile, and they were stuck to all of the surveillance cameras in the area, even though none of them were working.

"It looks like Ren hasn't forgotten the past," he informed as he walked towards a strange whimpering sound near the open grounds. Then he stopped for a moment and curiously noted the strange contraption that looked like it was made up of a hairclip and a clasp lodged into some wires dug out from the ground.

_Creative way to short out the surveillance, _Vincent mused, and figured it was best that he kept that observation to himself.

"Leviathan. I thought they were all killed," Tseng muttered, with an almost deadened tone.

"Rude arrested Reno before he ever got to finish… remember?"

"That's right. Where are you?"

"Outside some villa on the outskirts of Kalm," Vincent answered, before he knelt down to help out a kid that appeared no more than seventeen from of an entanglement of fishing line, "I think it might be best to take Reno home… Leaving him like this could have more repercussions than it's worth."

"I agree… Is he still there?"

"Yes," Vincent answered and cautiously looked over at the villa through the trees, "It shouldn't take you more than half an hour to get here by chopper." Then he turned on an emitter he kept fastened to the inside of his gauntlet before telling Tseng to, "Follow my signal."

* * *

Chuckling softly, the redhead simply stood in the hall of the basement with the last two men at his feet and leaning against a door among many. He felt sick, and he didn't really know what he found so funny, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.

During the whole time, he knew what he was doing, and he was well aware of what he'd done. But he couldn't seem to stop himself from doing it. It was almost like someone else had taken control of him.

"Gaia," he breathily muttered, and placed his hands over his face while slumping to the floor, "What the fuck've I done?"

Ten-ji was sure to kill him for whatever madness had taken over him.

Maybe he really did need to be taking those pills, he thought, suddenly more confused than he was about who was telling him the truth and who was lying to him.

Then with a strange assurance and a nod, he decided he was going to go up the stairs and grab a spare bottle of his medication from his room in hopes that Marcus hadn't gotten his hands on that one too. After that, he could simply flee.

Although he wasn't exactly sure about where he was going to flee to or what his plan was going to be, because he honestly couldn't seem to come up with anything that made him feel secure.

But he stopped the moment he heard a strange and whimpering noise on the other side of the door he was crouching across from. And out of curiosity, he looked around cautiously before getting up slowly to test the door only to find that it was locked.

Suddenly suspicious and concerned, he found himself pressing the palms of his hands to the door lightly as he leaned closer to make sure he wasn't imagining anything.

"Hey…" he shakily said, but loud enough for whoever was on the other side to hear, "Someone in there?"

"I wanna go home," came a soft and frightened voice on the other side. It sounded no older than a child's, "Please? I want my mommy."

_Fuck… _

_That's a fuckin kid._

"H-hang on," he consoled, and took a wary look around the hall while rubbing his hands nervously on his pants. Maybe the men on the floor had a key. After all, they were down there, simply sitting outside the door before he…

_Don't think about that right now._

Maybe they were guarding the room, he wondered in another attempt to shake off what he'd just done. Then he took a deep breath and figured he'd have to suck it up and look for the key while telling himself he had to.

* * *

"Well?" Rufus asked, as he stood in the doorway of his room, taking Tseng slightly off guard, "I'm assuming you have something to tell me, given the secrecy of that call."

"Rufus," Tseng muttered, and looked at his watch to note that it was four-hundred hours in the morning and still dark as night outside, "He's gone after the men that kidnapped him and Aldrich."

"I thought they were all dead."

"No," Tseng informed, and then he let out a heavy sigh while smoothing his hair back and putting his phone in his pant's pocket, "Rude and I managed to take all the ones down that had Reno, but the men that had Aldrich all got away… They were in another building we had no knowledge of."

"That was all in the report," Rufus commented with a slight suspicion. In all honesty, he was finding it a little difficult to trust Tseng at that moment. "But from what I recall from later reports, Reno had managed to find the men and…" With a tired shake to his head, Rufus cocked his brow in memory of how, when, and why he found that information, and then he brushed his hair out of his eyes while trying to find a pleasant way to finish his sentence, "Take care of the situation."

"Your father kept him too busy after he recruited him to ever let him finish," Tseng informed, and then he started to walk towards the kitchen to see if his coffee had finished brewing while Rufus followed and grabbed a cup of his own. "And then in time, he started drinking heavily, and it appeared as though he simply forgot," Tseng added with a shaky sigh.

"I see."

"I'll wake up the others," Tseng informed, after taking his first sip and straightening out his clothes, "I think you may have been right about the need to bring Reno back."

"I'm going with you."

* * *

After reluctantly digging around in the pockets for a key and talking to the girl in an attempt to try and keep her calm, as well as himself, he found himself standing with the key in front of the door and shaking nervously.

_Ten-ji's gonna fuckin kill me._

But his fears didn't stop him from opening the door and stepping in to quickly close it behind him in an attempt to hide the horror that he didn't want her seeing.

"What's yer name?" he meekly asked, while keeping his eyes on the floor and adjusting his shirt to try and hide the blood-stains behind the black jacket of his suit.

"Allysia," the little girl answered with a strangely widening smile on her face as her eyes lit up when she studied the man's appearance. Then she walked up to him as if she suddenly felt safe and looked up with deep-brown and admiring eyes, "I know who you are."

"Ya do?" Reno sheepishly asked, before he knelt down to meet the girl's height while still avoiding her eyes.

Nodding while biting on her bottom lip, she smiled at him again and assuredly told him, "Your name is Reno… My mommy talks about you all the time…"

"She does?" Somewhat curious, the man dug into his pocket for a toothpick while trying to be mindful of the fact that he was in the presence of a little girl.

"Mm-hm…" she answered with a nod, and then she started to elaborate as if there were so many things she wanted to talk to him about, "She shows me pictures of you and says that you're cute… Then Daddy gets mad and Mommy laughs at him."

"Really?"

"Yeah… But she said she only slept with you once, and that it was a long time ago. And Daddy shouldn't get so upset because you turned out to be a big jerk."

Then she took another trusting step forward and looked curiously at his scars while he practically cringed over what she was so innocently telling him.

"I don't know why Daddy gets mad though," she confided, while tilting her head, "I sleep with Mommy sometimes too. But that's usually when I have bad dreams… Is that why you slept with my mommy? Do you have bad dreams?"

_Great… I slept with this kid's mom…_

While still keeping his eyes nervously away from her, he suddenly wondered what the hell he was getting himself into while she continued to openly talk to him before he answered her quietly. "Yeah," And then he dug into the pocket of his pants to pull out the newspaper clipping he suddenly remembered and looked at it curiously.

_Allysia Kiukan… Daughter of two notable Turks, Tseng and Elena Kiukan… Was abducted from the Shinra Tower from the bedroom of her own home in the late hours… Shinra is asking anyone who may have information…_

_Shinra?_

With a confused focus on the word, Reno finally looked at the little girl in an attempt to compare her to the clipping while she continued to smile at him.

_Turks?_

_Fuck._

"Why are ya here?" he finally asked as he placed the clipping back in his pocket and wondered if maybe he should leave, lock the door back up, and bolt for his fucking life.

"Bad men took me," she answered with a convincing nod and wide eyes.

"Bad men?" Reno repeated, and then with a sudden and strange concern over the child, he found himself looking her over for any marks, "Did they hurt ya?"

"No. But I know they're bad. Mommy told me people who take kids are bad."

Smiling slightly at the innocence of her comments and the seriousness of her tone, he looked around at the comfortably decorated room and wondered why they put so much effort into it. Then he mumbled in admittance, "They generally are."

Nodding in agreement, Allysia grabbed onto Reno's hand and asked with a concern that she must have learned from her mother, "How come you look so sad?"

"Because I think I'm in trouble," the redhead admitted, and returned the oddly comforting hold on her small hand.

"My daddy said that if anyone ever knew how to get out of trouble it was you," the little girl said with a soft voice in an attempt to comfort the man that looked like he was afraid, "He said that you were so good at getting into it that you got really good at getting out of it."

"Yer daddy told ya that, huh?" he asked with his brow raised and a sheepish smile. Despite the fact that she was the daughter of two Turks, he couldn't help but like the kid a little.

Nodding while biting on her lip again, she placed her other tiny hand above his and repeated the words of her father once more, "He said it was like you had a horseshoe up your ass."

"Huh-uh…" he choked out with is brow raised and suddenly scratching at the back of his neck, "I don't think ya should be usin that kind'a language," Reno admitted a little bashfully.

"It's okay, my daddy says it all the time."

"An yer daddy lets ya say it?"

"No. But he shouldn't say it if he doesn't want me to."

"I bet yer a real handful," he thought aloud, and then he turned his head slightly to listen for any sounds in the hall to add to the ones he thought he just heard, "Hey…"

"Mm-hm?"

"I can't leave ya here."

Despite the fact that part of him was telling him to do just that, he found he was unable to actually go through with such an act. Regardless of whose kid she was and who'd taken her, the bottom line was that she was still a kid. And something just wasn't right about holding her for whatever reason she was being held for.

Then he turned his attention back to the little girl and looked her over in an attempt to try and convince himself that he was doing the right thing. "I want ya ta do somethin fer me," he said, and started to remove his jacket to wrap around her, revealing the blood-stained shirt underneath, "Ya trust me?"

Only nodding as an answer while staring at the shirt, the little girl looked into the man's eyes and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Don't worry about me."

"But if you're hurt, you should see a doctor."

"Look," he said, in hopes to try and keep her attention away from being concerned for him, "I'm gonna carry ya outta here, an I want ya ta keep yer hands over yer ears an yer eyes closed tight." Then he leaned forward and attempted to pick the compliant little girl up without threatening or scaring her, "Keep yer head buried in my chest… all right?"

"Are you taking me home?"

"I can't," he confessed. About the best he figured he could do was take her to one of the trustworthy Inns in town and get them to call her parents for her.

"Why not?"

"Cuz ya live at Shinra."

"But that's where you live too."

_Hm?_

* * *

"Don't worry. I've got men going in as we speak."

"You stupid fuck, Marcus! How in the hell did this happen?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Cloud had something to do with it."

"Fuck… I want Renault alive, Marcus," the Wutian warned over the PHS.

"And how would you suggest I do that?" he coldly asked while standing atop the small hill, a fair enough distance from the Villa, "Surely you'll be able to tell by the pictures plastered all over your surveillance cameras once you've got the system back up and working that he's gone fucking insane."

"He's always been insane, you idiot!" Ten-ji yelled, and then he added, "Fucking stun him, or sedate him… or something! I'll deal with him personally when you bring him back _un-harmed_."

"Why? So he can turn on you again?" Marcus mockingly asked as he heard the distant sound of something that sounded like a motorbike approaching.

"Enough with your fucking insubordinate bullshit," the Wutian warned, before he angrily added, "For all I know, you're the one who's behind this fucking mess."

"Honestly," Marcus replied flat-out, "Why would I want to do something this extreme when I'm well-aware of what you'd do to me over it?"

"Because you're just as nuts as Aldrich was," Ten-ji answered with a slight chill, before he enlightened the blonde with the fact that he wasn't as ignorant as he pretended to be, "And I _know_ that you would do anything to seek out revenge over your sickly infatuation with that man."

With his knuckles going white over the confrontation, Marcus simply replied with a tight throat, "I'll _fix_ this." Then he motioned for the other men he was with to follow his lead by backing into the woods to keep out of sight from whatever it was that was approaching.

"You'd better fucking _fix_ this!" the Wutian threatened, right before the line went dead.

Then with darkening eyes and his finger pressed to the disconnect, Marcus watched as the bike approached closer and came to a sudden halt when a Shinra helicopter came out of nowhere and headed straight for the villa.

"Fuck," he muttered.

But he suddenly smiled when he recognised the man dismantling a bike that didn't look like it belonged to him and throwing his over-sized sword angrily to the ground and muttering out the exact same word.

Suddenly unable to hold back a sickly snicker, Marcus hit the number on the PHS to contact the Wutian's men entering the Villa to give them their orders.

However, it wasn't exactly the order that he was supposed to give.

"Shinra is on their way… Make sure Renault doesn't get out of that Villa alive."

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Renault," came the sound of one of Ten-ji's men as he placed his PHS back into its case while aiming his gun at the cornered redhead. They must have just arrived and there were several of them blocking the entrance Reno was headed for.

If only he'd decided to leave sooner instead of wasting all that time listening to the girl, he could have probably made it out. But unfortunately, all he met at the door was a large number of guns pointing straight at him.

With a nervous chuckle, he took a step back and protectively placed his hand over the little girls head and muttered, "Keep yer eyes closed an yer ears covered… Kay?"

Nodding into his chest, the little girl did exactly as she was told and adjusted herself more securely into his arms.

"Heh… somethin goin on?" he stupidly asked, as he tested the waters and took another step back, "Ya know… Maybe I can help ya's all out…"

"Very funny, Renault," the man at the forefront replied with an unimpressed sneer, "Put the girl down."

"Can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Be – cuz… yer… stupid?"

"Really."

With a lack of fascination towards Reno's more-than-elaborate explanation, the man motioned his free hand to inform the men behind him to advance on the redhead that was slowly making his way into the large room at the end of the hall, "It's going to be a real shame to have to shoot you while you're still holding that kid, Renault."

"Sounds like a good 'nuff reason not ta do it then," he playfully said, before he rested his cheek against the top of the little girl's head and quietly muttered to her, "Whatever happens… even if I fall down… Promise me ya won't open yer eyes… Can ya promise me that?"

"Yes," the little girl murmured, as frightened tears started to fill her eyes and Reno stepped into the large opening of the room behind him.

"Don't cry, Baby," he soothed, and stepped farther back as the men advanced, "They won't hurt ya."

With an assured nod, he was more than certain he was telling her the truth and wrapped his arms more securely around her in the knowledge that he knew the same didn't apply to him. Then he added with a slight choke to his words, "Be strong for yer mommy and daddy… 'Kay?"

"Don't make this any harder on yourself, Renault… Put the girl down."

"I can't," was his sad admittance, right before his whole body froze from the unexpected shock of the loud bangs and he dropped to the floor.

* * *

"Shit," Cloud muttered when he heard the sudden shots being fired, and then he ran to grab his sword from where he threw it in an attempt to run down there and help out.

It no longer mattered to him that Shinra had approached and landed. He figured he could always deal with the repercussions of his actions later. At that moment, the only thing that mattered to him was that Reno was in trouble and that he could probably use his help.

But just as he was about to start his approach, something stung him in the back of his shoulder and he found himself uncontrollably dizzy. Then with a quick reaction in hopes he could get whatever it was out before it was fully injected, he reached back and pulled out a dart of some sort with a shaky hand, and stared at it in confusion.

"I believe I told you not to go anywhere near Midgar," came a smooth and suave voice from behind him, causing him to drop the dart and stumble as he turned around to regard whoever it was that was talking to him, "In fact, I believe I told you the penalty was death."

Perhaps the man shouldn't have trusted the shot to work quickly enough for him to approach that closely yet though. Because the moment he was within an acceptable distance, Cloud swung his sword blindly at the man and grazed his throat enough to draw blood, but not enough to cause any serious damage.

"Actually," Cloud slurred, while trying to fight the onslaught of whatever it was he'd been injected with, "You said I'd be killed on sight."

"Indeed."

With an almost satisfied sneer, the man held his hand over his throat and watched the ex-Soldier stumble to the ground as the weight of his sword pulled him down before he dropped it from a weakening hold, "Too bad you didn't listen."

Then with a strange confusion, Cloud noted that the men accompanying the man were not Turks. Then with an even stronger confusion over the black and careless attire of the man, he tried to clear his vision enough to ensure that he was seeing things right, before he muttered out, "Rufus?"

Then he fell unconsciously to the ground.

* * *

He knelt there, on the floor, with his body protectively around the child and his eyes shut as tightly as her own. It seemed like he'd been there for hours, wondering whether he was dead or not as he listened to the crossfire he'd found himself in the middle of.

Why was he still alive?

"Oh, Gaia…" came a woman's urgent voice while he heard someone else mutter in a negative tone, "So the fag really is alive." Then he heard a dire voice with a slight Wutian accent say in a disciplinary tone, "Jared," While someone else with a deeper and commanding voice yelled out, "Get up!"

"I can't."

He was still frozen, and from the looks of things, so was the little girl in his arms. He'd basically thrown himself over her to keep her safe and remained in a state of shock from the uncertainty of his predicament.

That was, until someone came over to him and literally tore the child unwillingly from his arms while she shouted out, "Daddy!" and he started muttering, "nonononono," with his arms wrapped around his gut as if he was in some kind of pain.

Then with an unpredictable movement, he found himself suddenly with his gun in his hand and aiming it face to face with the first person he came in contact with.

"YOU CAN'T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!" he frantically shouted with a growling undertone as he stared furiously into the ocean of icy blue before him, completely aware of the barrel that was pressed to his forehead in warning.

"It's okay Reno," came the Wutian-accented voice again, knowing full-well that the man was still in a state of shock as he handed Allysia over to his desperate wife, he added, "She's safe."

_Fuck!_

"You!"

Pulling back the safety on his gun, he ran his eyes over the familiar blonde in front of him that was challengingly staring back as he mirrored the man's action and pulled the safety back on his own.

"You set me up!" he yelled at the man he was sure he knew, and realized he'd definitely feel no remorse for pulling the trigger.

"Drop. The damn. Guns!" commanded the deep baritone voice, as Reno pressed the barrel of his own farther, with a testing reflex, into the unflinching man's face.

"What the fuck is goin on?" he shakily demanded, like a cornered animal as he continued to stare into that relentless and taunting blue. Then he realized from what he gathered in his peripheral vision that he was in the presence of Turks, "You can't possibly be with them!"

But there was no answer. And there was no expression. All that existed was simply challenge and a hunger in the blonde's eyes that practically dared him to pull the trigger.

"We're here to help you, Reno," the Wutian calmly said in an attempt to try and get the man to calm down, "No one's going to hurt you."

"Bullshit!" he retorted, and nudged his gun farther into the blonde's forehead as the action was coldly mirrored by the silent man in front of him, "He does nothin but _FUCK_ with my _head_!"

"Drop the guns!" the man with the shades commanded again, and he readied his own in hopes that he wouldn't have to use it on either of them. From the looks of things, they were both somewhat unpredictable and disturbing… almost like old times.

"Fuck it," the redhead muttered, as he started to pull back on the trigger. He was screwed. He was sure of it.

_At least you'll go out with me._

But the bullet never got the chance to move.

Because something was blown into his face from someone he didn't see coming…

And about the only thing he ever got the chance to see before he nearly hit the ground was an unexpected swirl of red.

"Now…" Rufus calmly said as he pulled the redhead he managed to catch more securely into his arms, "I want the grounds searched for Cloud."

After that, he placed his gun back in his holster and lifted his long-awaited prize into his arms so he could carry him out.

Then with a cool and assured tone that no one had heard Rufus speak in for years, he simply added, "And I want that man put back in jail, Tseng."

* * *

Revised: August 24, 2010


	11. For the Sake of Progress

**For the Sake of Progress**

* * *

"He hasn't aged a day," Rufus quietly mused as he sat at the back of the helicopter with Reno in his arms.

The man was still unconscious and his lithe body was half-draped onto the seat while Rufus kept his upper half held close, almost like he never wanted to let go. But he knew better, and once his four leading Turks were back in the helicopter after Tseng ordered the others to search the grounds for Cloud and any other useful evidence, he stroked the red strands from the paling face and laid him down more securely onto his lap.

"He needs a doctor," Tseng commented as he sat beside his wife and his re-claimed daughter. He figured he'd leave Jared to sit up front with Rude so he could stay in the back with the ones he cared most about.

"No one touches him but Erryn," Rufus replied.

There was no need to question Rufus' resolve on the matter. They all knew she was the only one that seemed to be able to help the redhead when things looked like there was no hope. Then he frowned slightly at the stains on Reno's shirt and started unbuttoning it in hopes to ensure that the damage wasn't too serious.

With a subtle nod, Tseng added that DNA tests wouldn't be such a bad idea either. But Rufus didn't feel the need for it even though he was willing to go along with it.

"Scars this age can't be duplicated," he muttered, without really meaning anything by it as he dragged his fingers lightly along a diagonal impression on the man's chest that lead him to a bullet-wound below the collar bone and a graze across the shoulder.

Then he pulled the shirt back farther to reveal an even more concerning injury just below the ribs before he turned his attention back to Reno's face and set his eyes upon the bruises.

"What do you make of this, Tseng?" Rufus asked as he turned Reno's head and drew attention to the aging impressions along his jaw, neck, and cheek.

"They're not from tonight."

"Mm."

With a nod in agreement, he continued to inspect the redhead and stopped with an even deeper frown when he found the rope burns around Reno's wrists. Then with a heavy sigh, he pulled the unconscious man's hand to rest the backside of it against his cheek, "It's not going to be easy… Is it?"

"I'm afraid not," Tseng replied while scanning his eyes over the battered redhead and silently fretting. It wasn't so much Reno's condition that concerned the man though – it was Reno's strange reaction towards Rufus that set off a deepening sense of forewarning.

While Rufus continued to scan the cuts, wounds, and bruises on the man's body, he found himself asking, "Why didn't he heal himself if he was Ren?"

With a subtle shake to his head, Tseng simply commented that, "He can only do that if he has full control." Then he added that it wasn't always the case, "Often times, he only took over just enough to manipulate Reno's actions."

"Is he gonna be all right, Daddy?" Allysia asked tiredly, but with concern while being held closely in her mother's arms.

"He'll be fine, Allysia." With a slight sigh, Tseng moved closer to his wife and grabbed a hold of the tiny hand in hopes of comforting both her and himself, "We're going to take good care of him."

"He acted like he knew me," Rufus mused, almost distantly before his eyes wandered off to nowhere, and then he placed a small kiss on the back of Reno's hand, "Like he saw me as a threat."

Then, not caring about the stains he was transferring onto his immaculately white attire, Rufus placed Reno's hand over the man's chest and collected him more securely into his arms. Knowing full-well that he probably wasn't going to be able to hold him that closely again for some time, he decided he'd take the small opportunity to remember what it felt like.

"Cure," he quietly muttered, and held on tighter as the unconscious form naturally tensed in his arms when the reversal pushed the bullets out and closed the wounds. Then he buried his face into the man's shoulder and closed his eyes, "Tell Rude we're ready to lift off."

* * *

"Hm."

With a snort and a disgusted sneer, Marcus stood back with his men in the shadows as they watched the Shinra helicopter leaving back for Midgar.

"I guess that's what Aldrich meant by Ren not being entirely trustworthy…" he mused to himself. Then he took a deep breath and scratched at his chest before holding his hand into whatever faint light he could gather to stare at the blood on his fingers, "Oh, well… No worries."

Chuckling a little cynically, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it while waiting for the helicopter to disappear entirely before picking up the binoculars again and scanning the grounds of the villa.

"How many Turks do you suppose they left behind?" he asked the man standing slightly behind him and to his right.

"I counted six."

"Only six?"

Cocking his brow as a slight smirk played across his lips, he turned to the man and tilted his head as the man smiled back at him and handed him a switch. Then he turned his attention back to the villa with narrowed eyes.

"I'm sure Ten-ji won't mind," he muttered, before the two men started snickering and placed darkened goggles over their eyes.

Then he hit the switch to watch the villa disappear in a silent flash of white.

"And if he does…" Marcus started before finishing with a demented chuckle that was accompanied by the man at his side, "We can always blame it on Reno."

"You're fucked, Marcus," the man commented, as he watched Marcus toss the switch carelessly over his shoulder and remove his goggles, "Ten-ji's gonna fuckin kill you."

"Don't ruin my moment, Connel."

With a suddenly serious presence, Marcus turned his attention over to the unconscious form lying on the ground near a ridiculously-sized sword. Then he walked over to him and nudged him with his foot to make sure the injection had fully kicked in, "Perhaps I can rectify my dilemma… with a gift."

"Are we taking the sword too?"

"What?" Marcus asked with his brow cocked as one of the other men handed him some gauze to wrap around his neck and a Restore Materia, "Are you crazy?"

With that thought in mind, he stabbed the man in the chest and muttered out, "Cure," before ordering the others to inflict a little damage on themselves as well. After all, he needed to make his story convincing.

Every little bit would help, he assured them all.

Then he dialled his Boss' number and freaked out over the situation with his own version of the story.

* * *

After a few hours, Reno awoke in a medical bay with his right wrist securely cuffed to a bar at the side of the bed. For a few moments, he simply laid there in a state of confusion as he repetitively blinked his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. Then he noted the blonde standing by the bedside and bolted up, hurting his shoulder by the forceful pull of trying to get away as he wound up flinging himself to the floor.

"Wha-thefuk'rya doin, Mah-kus?" he illegibly screamed as he pushed his back into the side of the bed and tried to twist himself around to release the pressure on his arm. Then with a quick thought, he threw himself as close to the floor as he could to see if there was anything he could pull out from the bottom of the bed to defend himself with. But he was quickly pulled back by the man he didn't even notice sitting by the bed.

"No one's going to hurt you," came a calm, Wutian accent, "You're safe here."

"Then get him the fuck away from me!" he screamed as he writhed his wiry body in a merciless hold.

"Rufus," Tseng said with a slight strain to his voice from trying to hold the wily form still and attempting to keep from harming both the redhead and himself from the effort, "Perhaps you should wait outside… until he calms down."

With a tight jaw, Rufus remained silent while watching Reno try to struggle away from Tseng as the man behaved like he was completely repulsed by the quiet President. Then he saw Erryn through the window of the door with a look in her eyes that said she'd finished running the tests and with a frustrated reluctance, Rufus decided Tseng was probably right to ask him to leave and he made his way out with a slightly angry stride as the redhead continued to scream and throw out accusations.

"Whatever he's told you… it's a lie! It's a fucking lie!"

"No one's told us anything, Reno. You're in shock."

"No! He's a liar! That's all he does! He fucking lies!"

* * *

"What the _fuck_ is the matter with him, Erryn?"

With a slight paranoia over the fact that she really didn't have an answer, she simply stared at the President before looking back at the door and shaking her head.

"I don't know," she admitted, and then she took a step back in fear of the reaction she might have rewarded herself with as she tried her best to think quickly, "All the tests are fine. He's healthy."

"And?"

"It's him," she answered and met Rufus' angry eyes with her own bewildered grey, "Everything is a complete match."

"And his head?"

"I-it's just the injury. Just his memories… There's nothing that could be making him act that way," she said while her mind ran on overdrive and she blurted out without thinking, "Unless you two got into a fight bef –"

"Are you saying this is my fault?" he asked while taking a threatening step forward, "Like I somehow brought this on myself?"

With his hand waving around in the air, he pulled out his gun with the other hand and aimed it at her head. "He nearly pulled the _trigger_, Erryn," he frighteningly growled, before he poked her with the gun and then put it away.

"That's really mature, Rufus," she suddenly shot out, unable to hold it back, "Why don't you have another fuckin drink."

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me."

Without backing down, she figured she'd had her life threatened enough times as it was, and she wasn't willing to let it happen anymore. With that thought in mind, she decided she was about to walk away from him. But he grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

"I'm not going to apologise," he said with a suddenly chilling calm as his fingers dug mercilessly into her bicep. Then he looked over at the door and pulled her closer so no one but her could hear what he was going to say next, "But I _am_ going to ask for your help."

* * *

"The little girl you were holding…" Tseng started with a soothing voice after Reno calmed down and sat willingly back on the bed, "Do you know who she was?"

When all the redhead did was test the strength of the cuff around his wrist and turn away, Tseng nodded and decided he'd do his best to try and make the man feel like he wasn't under any kind of threat.

"She's my daughter," he said with a slightly proud smile, "She'd been missing for a couple of days." Then he slightly leaned over to see if he could catch the redhead's gaze, but failed, "Did you know that?"

With nothing more than a subtle shrug, the redhead pulled his knees up to his chest and mumbled out, "Was'n gonna hurt her."

"I came to no such conclusion," Tseng admitted, and pulled his chair closer to the bed, "I saw the way you threw yourself over her."

Then he carefully brought his hand to Reno's wrist with very slow and careful movements to make sure the redhead didn't damage himself too much when he threw himself off the bed, "I thought that was very brave of you."

With another unsure shrug, the redhead moved his reluctant attention to the slender Wutian that was turning his compliant wrist over to continue inspecting it, "Am I goin ta jail?"

"Why do you ask?" Tseng asked, with a more relaxed tone after noting the red marks that would most-likely turn to bruises shortly, and then he sat back in his chair to regard the redhead with a serious resolution.

Not exactly sure about what they knew or not, Reno simply moved his gaze to the bed and wrapped his free arm around his knees before resting his chin on them.

Unable to hold back a sigh, Tseng folded his hands on his knees and ran his eyes over the confused man before figuring he couldn't waste too much time. "Reno…" he started, and paused when the redhead flinched at the mention of his name, "Do you know who the man was that you nearly shot?"

"Should I?"

"You acted like you recognised him," Tseng commented, before taking a deep breath while being careful not to say too much, "And you called him by a name… But I was unable to make it out… What was it?"

Shaking his head subtly, Reno wasn't too sure of what he should have been saying or not. He really had no idea how deep things went and figured it might have been in his best interest to say nothing for the simple sake of survival.

"Never seen him before," he muttered, while turning his eyes farther in the opposite direction.

"I see…" Tseng mused while sceptically looking at the man. Then he offered, "His name is Rufus," knowing full-well that it wasn't what the redhead called him earlier, and then he tested the waters by adding, "Rufus Shinra."

_Shinra?_

Unwillingly, the redhead's attention returned slowly over to him in a state near-disbelief.

"Do you know who Rufus Shinra is?"

When he received no answer and just a continued silent bewilderment, Tseng elaborated further, "He's the President of Shinra Incorporated… formerly The Shinra Electric Power Company. There is very little that he doesn't control. He's also the employer of the MP's, Soldier, and the Turks. Are you familiar with the Turks?"

Nodding, Reno ran his eyes over the slender Wutian sitting beside him as a sign that he recognised the man to be just that.

"Hm," Tseng mumbled in thought, "So you had no idea who he was." Then he nodded and tilted his head slightly with a continued serious expression, "I'd like to know why you nearly shot him then."

Knitting his brows, the redhead turned his attention back to the bed like a child who was being scolded for something he knew he did wrong but didn't want to admit to.

"You're not in trouble, Reno," Tseng assured as he dug into his breast pocket, "But you'd be a great help to us if you'd be honest about who you thought Rufus was." Then he pulled a badge out and placed it into Reno's cuffed hand.

"What's this?"

"Why don't you look at it?" Tseng advised as he sat back and watched the redhead reluctantly pull it out of his hand with the other and study it in confusion, "I understand you have broken memories. And I understand you may have been used in ways I view as unscrupulous. However…"

With another sigh, Tseng leaned forward and turned the badge over in Reno's hand to put the redhead's focus on the front of it again, suggesting that he wanted the man to understand what he was telling him, "You're not in the hands of people who want to hurt you anymore."

"This is…" Unable to finish the sentence, Reno continued to stare at the small picture of himself with his hair spiked around the top while wearing a carelessly adorned black suit, along with a pair of shades under his hairline, and his Turk registration imprinted to the side.

"I don't expect you to believe anything you're presented with," Tseng admitted as he started to get up, "But I believe if we give you enough time, you'll come to find the truth about yourself in your own time. My goal is to simply be your guide… nothing more."

"I…" Reno started as he turned the badge over to view the backside. "I think there's somethin wrong with me," he quietly admitted, still playing over the scenario in his head from what he did at the Villa, "I don't –"

With a nod, Tseng was more than certain he knew what Reno was getting at. After all, they'd all bared witness to his massacre before they entered the Villa.

"You're a trained killer, Reno," he informed the man as he motioned his hand towards the cuff around Reno's wrist, "Which is the reason for the necessary precautions."

With another nod, Tseng silently assured himself that Reno understood his explanation and let out a light sigh before compassionately continuing, "And there are many things you've never had control over."

"Never?"

Nodding reluctantly again, Tseng sat himself on the edge of the bed and folded his hands on his knees while looking straight ahead. Then he bowed his head slightly and lowered his voice respectively, "Life hasn't always been kind to you…"

With a bit of a hesitant pause, Tseng continued to stare at the floor, "You've suffered some very serious and disturbing trauma's, and it's left you somewhat confused… naturally. In fact, I could even go so far as to say this is probably the most peaceful I've ever seen you, simply because you don't remember."

"Ya sayin I'm better off?"

"No," Tseng admitted, still keeping his attention forward, "You have every right to know who you are. I'm just worried about what might happen if you remember too much too soon."

After that, the slender Wutian finally turned his attention back to the curious redhead and added, "I think it would be best if we all remained patient."

* * *

"Well you're not bringing him here!"

The stalky-built Wutian practically freaked out over what Marcus was so insanely telling him. Not only did Reno go nuts and kill his men, the Turks showed up, killing even more of them and forcing the Wutian's men that accompanied Marcus to have to blow the Villa out of existence. To top things off, Shinra got away with the little girl whom he was going to use against Tseng, _and _they also took Reno.

And as if that wasn't enough, Cloud showed up and attacked Marcus and his men on the hill.

"There's something you're not telling me you little shit," Ten-ji growled in a threatening tone, "I fail to see how in the hell _Cloud_ can be used as fucking_ leverage_!" Then he bellowed out to the response, "I KNOW HE KILLED MY MEN AT ICICLE INN! HOW DENSE DO YOU FUCKING THINK I AM!"

With raised brows, Darius simply sat in the chair across from his Boss' desk as he watched him frantically pace back and forth and smash his glass against the wall.

"I should have fucking killed you the moment Boris decided you weren't worth paying for!" he threatened with a slight hunch and his finger pointing at the air as if Marcus was in the very room with them. Then he chuckled madly, "In fact, maybe I should have given _you_ back to him. Then I wouldn't have to put up with you as an _insufferable_ fucking _headache_!"

With nothing more than a curt response in regards to the fact that it wasn't his fault _Boris_ chose the _fairy_ over him, Marcus continued with his outrageous plan about how Cloud could come in a lot handier than Ten-ji was capable of perceiving. Besides, he didn't give a shit about what _Boris _did or didn't do, and he didn't give a shit about how much everybody regretted their decisions over the matter. It wasn't his fucking fault.

"You fucking _ungrateful_, _presumptuous, fiend of Ha –"_

With a clearing of his throat and his hand raised, Darius calmly stood from his seat and mused without seeming impeding, "Reno had feelings for Cloud didn't he?" making every attempt to make it look like he was simply thinking out loud.

As a result, Ten-ji fell completely silent while looking at Darius like the man had lost his mind.

"From the surveillance feed at the Underground reactor, he practically admitted to it, didn't he?" Then Darius stroked his chin and turned to the window to look out of it while he elaborated further on his thoughts, "I wonder if we could use the ex-Soldier as a tool of manipulation?"

"What?" Ten-ji snapped, and then he told Marcus to shut the fuck up because he wasn't talking to him, "What are you suggesting?"

"It's only a thought," Darius admitted before he straightened out his jacket and turned to regard his erratic friend, "But perhaps it's not such a bad idea to see if we can manipulate Reno from the inside… with a little incentive."

Motioning his hand to the phone in Ten-ji's hand, the Mideelan simply stood there while waiting for his Boss to see what he was saying and make it seem like it was his own decision, "After all, we _do_ have two _very_ perfect tools."

"Hostages and mind games," the Wutian muttered with a sudden light, revealing the cogs turning in the back of his mind. Then he shook his head and calmly said into the receiver, "Goblin Island, Marcus… You know how to get there."

He was almost about to hang up before he had a second thought and added, "I'm sure Cloud will find the facility there somewhat… captivating."

Then he hung up and tapped the PHS against his chin with a nod to ensure himself that everything would work out fine while Darius silently chuckled to himself.

* * *

"Rufus," Tseng quietly sad as he walked into the hall and carefully closed the door behind him, "I believe he's calmed down."

"Does he remember anything?" he asked, making his best attempt to hide the hopeful anticipation he felt.

With nothing more than a shake to his head, Tseng regarded Rufus with compassion and informed him that he gave the redhead his badge in hopes that it would trigger some of Reno's better memories.

"Also…" With a step forward to keep the conversation as private as possible, the slender Wutian added, "I think it might be best to avoid pushing him."

"Are you saying I should simply pretend that nothing ever happened between us?"

"It might not hurt to wait for him to remember it on his own, Rufus," Tseng informed in hopes that Rufus could refrain from forcing his will onto the redhead like he did before, "Perhaps it might be best to simply keep things professional for now."

"So what do you suggest I tell him when I take him home?" Rufus asked with a tight throat, feeling there might have been more of a personal reason behind Tseng's suggestion.

"I suggest you ensure he's led to believe the spare room is his."

Then he gave a reluctant once-over at the President in front of him.

"Allowing him to believe that you're nothing more than roommates for the time being may help things transition more smoothly than if you were to tell him the truth right away."

After that, he added, "Now that Allysia is back, Elena and I will be returning to our own apartment and we'll take the liberty of cleaning all of our traces away. I suggest you put an equal effort into making it look like he lived in it."

"It's because of the way he's reacting to me," Rufus mused while brushing his bangs away from his eyes, "Isn't it?"

"He won't say anything," the Wutian informed, before he carefully added in hopes that nothing would set off Rufus' relentless mistrust and curiosity, "But I think he might be confusing you with someone else."

"Someone else…"

With slightly darkened eyes and a cocked brow, Rufus looked at Tseng like he wasn't exactly sure how to read the man all of the sudden, "Are you suggesting that there is someone else out there bearing a striking resemblance to me?"

"I don't know."

Even though he was trying to keep his findings hidden, he knew damned-well that he couldn't hide the entire truth from Rufus. So a half-truth couldn't possibly hurt, and it might even hold him over long enough for Tseng to work out a way to tell him without him going nuts over the matter.

"But it appears there is something about your appearance that is having a negative effect on him."

"It could simply be because he may have been convinced I'm his enemy."

"No," Tseng admitted, and then he turned towards the door as Erryn and Reeve appeared at the end of the hall and made their way in the direction of the two men, "I took the liberty of interrogating him somewhat. He had no idea who you were."

"I see," Rufus muttered, not really showing what he was thinking before he turned to greet the man and the woman approaching, "I'm assuming you've both brought everything I requested." With a quick glance to Tseng's confused look, Rufus shot a quick nod to ensure the man he was more than positive about what he was doing.

"Yes," replied Reeve as he smirked and moved the case in his hand forward to draw attention to it while Erryn nodded with a disapproving frown, "Everything you'll be requiring…"

"Very well," the seemingly disinterested President commented before he motioned his hand towards the door, "Shall we then…?"

With responding nods, the two made their way for the door before Rufus was roughly pulled back by Tseng's grip, causing the challenging President to meet the fire-like burning coal of the man's eyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tseng demanded under his breath while barely moving his mouth and having his glare returned by the conniving ice that refused to be melted by the intensity of the Wutian's heat.

"I'm simply ensuring that my property _remains_ my property."

* * *

"You stayed with Uncle Rufus?" the little girl asked as her mother let go of her hand to enter the room she and Tseng were staying in.

"Mm-hm," Elena answered distantly while she set her bag on the bed to collect her and Tseng's items, along with the pictures of their daughter that they kept with them for comfort, "But now that Reno's back, he'll need his room back." Then she added playfully as she bent down and pushed lightly on her daughter's nose with her forefinger, "And now that you're back, we won't be sad anymore and we can go home."

"Reno lives with Rufus?" Allysia asked with wide eyes, and then she climbed onto the bed to watch her mother pack her bags, "Is that why he was scared to come home?"

"What?" Elena asked with a bewildering shake to her head, "Why do you think he was scared?"

"He said he was... He said he thought he was in trouble," the little girl said as she reached over to open the bag and look inside, "Do you think Rufus scares him too? He looked scared when he saw him."

"I noticed," Elena mumbled with a slight disturbance before she shook her head again. Then she sat at the end of the bed and pulled her daughter onto her lap, "Did he tell you what kind of trouble he thought he was in?"

"No," Allysia answered while looking up and admiring her mother's flaxen-blonde hair, "But he was really scared when those bad men told him to put me down."

Frowning somewhat, Elena brushed the black locks from her daughters face and pulled her closer, "Did he tell you anything else?"

"No."

With a definite shake to her head, she returned her mothers hold and told her, "But I don't want him to be sad, Mommy. Do you think we can make him happy?"

Screwing up the corner of her mouth, Elena stroked her daughter's hair and started rocking unconsciously. She couldn't help but think it would certainly be a nice thing to see.

"I don't think it would hurt to try," She mused, somewhat sadly before she added, "I don't like seeing him sad either, Honey."

* * *

With a confident stride, Rufus followed Reeve and Erryn into Reno's room with Tseng trailing reluctantly behind. All the while, the man fretted over what the hell Rufus had planned. But being the loyal Turk he'd always been, he decided he'd play along in hopes that Rufus knew what he was doing and took the liberty to start introducing Reno to both of them.

"Reno…" Tseng started. "This is Reeve Tuesti. He's one of our most brilliant engineers and is the head of the Robotics and Environmental Divisions," he informed, somewhat sceptical as to why Reeve's presence was required, "He's also the leader in our Energy Development involving the use of the Meteor dust that we use to power our cities today."

"Jack of all trades, huh?" Reno muttered, not looking up from the badge he was still toying with.

"Actually, you played a very important role in our Meteor development," Reeve commented with a slight smile, somewhat admirable of the man even though he'd probably never admit to it.

After that, he set his case down on the surface by the bed and opened it with the back of the case facing Reno so he didn't have to reveal the contents just yet. Then he pulled out some kind of device and proceeded to run diagnostics and calibrations on it.

"What's in the case?" Reno asked warily, suddenly lifting his attention from the badge over to Reeve.

"A little insurance," Rufus coolly informed, rewarding himself with a slight cringe from the redhead at the sound of his voice.

"Insurance…" Reno mumbled as the sound of the word hung in the air of his thoughts, causing him to test his cuff again with the futile hope of getting away.

As a result, Tseng found himself doing everything in his power to avoid covering his face with his hands and took to straightening out his suit in a manner to keep himself occupied.

"What'r ya gonna do…? Turn me into a… energy-conserving an environmentally-friendly robot?"

"Not quite," Rufus answered as he took a testing step forward, catching the odd attention from the redhead who knitted his brows together and strangely regarded him for a moment. All the while, he made every attempt at avoiding the President's eyes.

The man's movement struck the redhead as unusually elegant. It was something he simply didn't expect from the man who coldly mirrored his every action back at the villa.

With a more confident feeling by the fact that Reno didn't react the way he did earlier, Rufus motioned his hand towards Erryn and proceeded to introduce her as she opened her small bag to take out a strange-looking needle that almost looked like some kind of futuristic gun.

"This is Erryn Grey," he started, and then he stopped and oddly looked at her as he distantly said in a strangely slow pace, "She's going to be your physician from now on."

"What?" she asked, with her attention suddenly on Rufus and a look in her eyes that reflected the feeling of being put in the spotlight.

"Nothing... It's just…" Rufus uncharacteristically started while realising the irony as he waved his fingers in front of his face, drawing attention to his eyes and drawing an even more curious look from the redhead, "I never realised it before."

Pausing to let out a strange and awkward snicker and catching everyone's attention at that point, he continued as if he was doing and saying nothing odd, "Your name… and your eyes…"

Suddenly sneering at the man without meaning to, Erryn rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Reno to swab the upper part of his arm. After all, it wasn't the first time someone had mockingly pointed that out before.

"Well there the same," he defended, as he turned his attention over to Tseng for some kind of support or shared amusement and was rewarded with none.

It honestly wasn't fair as far as he was concerned. Why the hell was everyone else allowed to point things out like that except for him? But that thought was cut short when Rude finally entered and apologised for being late.

"Right… Well…" Rufus started in an attempt to regain his stoic dignity, and he proceeded to straighten out the cuffs of his coat before brushing the bangs out of his eyes, "Let's get started then… Shall we?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Tseng muttered under his breath as he stood suspiciously close to the President.

"I already told you," Rufus replied and motioned his hand towards Erryn while explaining to Reno that she was simply giving him a vitamin shot as her features tensed slightly, catching Reno's attention and causing him to tense as well.

He may have had no memory, but he still knew when people were lying to him. Whatever it was she was going to inject him with was no vitamin shot. That much he was sure of. But he found himself in a position where there was really nothing he could do about it.

On top of that, he also found himself unable to pull his attention away from the deep scar across her face. There was something so unnervingly familiar about it that it started to make him feel sick.

"If you'd like, I can give you a picture," Erryn quietly said through her teeth without lifting her eyes to look at the man.

"Sorry," he muttered, and then he turned his cautious attention onto the sheets of the bed before he suddenly flinched at the strange sensation of whatever it was she injected him with.

Then she muttered out with her eyes to the floor, "Kay… I'm done… Can I go now?"

Simply nodding at her, Rufus stepped out of her way and motioned his hand to the door in silent permission. In the meantime, Reeve pulled out a thin armlet from the case after he was done with whatever it was he was doing with it. Then he simply stood there and stared at Rufus as if he was waiting for some kind of direction.

Nodding again, Rufus turned his attention to the redhead whose eyes seemed locked to whatever Reeve was holding in question.

"It's a security device," Rufus coolly offered as an explanation and rewarded himself with the redhead's wary attention again. Then he nodded at Reeve in the manner of a silent order to go ahead and place it around Reno's left wrist.

"It's designed to work in conjunction with our existing systems."

Keeping his eyes darkly locked to the redhead's in every attempt to hide his emotions, as Tseng advised, he continued in an attempt to remain professional, "But unlike the primary function to keep people out, this one is designed to keep people in."

When he noticed the redhead cringe and coil back into the headboard of the bed, Rufus nearly choked and found himself wanting to be by the man's side in a manner of comfort. But no, he had to ensure that rules were laid out clearly, and after giving it some thought, he came to the conclusion that it might be in everyone's best interest to ensure that nothing regretful happened in regards to Reno's present loyalties.

It was honestly the best solution Rufus could come up with, short of locking Reno up in a cell. And locking Reno up was something he really didn't want to do.

Suddenly realising what Rufus was up to, Tseng found himself stepping forward in an attempt to explain on his President's behalf, "I want you to understand that this is more for your own protection than anything else, Reno."

"How's that?" the redhead insecurely mumbled. All the while, he kept his eyes locked on the small armlet designed with comfort in mind as it was being fastened about his free wrist with some sort of locking device that he'd never seen before.

"We're concerned that you may be in danger," Tseng replied as he stepped forward, "And we feel that it is in everyone's best interest if we keep you safe by keeping you under close watch and within the confines of Shinra."

"Who says Shinra's safe?"

With somewhat of a knowledgeable glow to his eyes, Tseng couldn't help but notice there was a slight challenge there too, pointing out that the redhead was just about as convinced as the slender Wutian that Shinra may not have been the impenetrable fortress it was once believed to be.

"Yes… Well…" Tseng stumbled, and motioned for Rufus to take the reigns, "Rufus?"

"Hm," Rufus mused while suspiciously looking at them both, "Well… as much as I'd like to move on from this point to show you around and get you reacquainted with where you used to live, I'm afraid I'm going to have to forego that until Erryn is convinced that you're well enough to do so."

"Well enough?" the redhead asked in confusion, and startled at the suddenly sharp glare he received from the blonde.

"For Gaia's sake, Reno…" Rufus uncontrollably blurted out, unable to restrain himself as he motioned his hand disbelievingly at the redhead, "You were shot three fucking times!"

Then he suddenly found himself recoiling over both his reaction and Reno's uncertainty in regards to his reaction.

Realizing he could easily blow all of his attempts to win the man back, he figured it would be best if he simply left and calmed down a bit before returning. After all, it had only been a matter of hours since he had the redhead back in his possession and he was already yelling at him again.

"Right…" Nodding while suddenly turning his attention to smoothing out his coat, Rufus made another attempt at trying to remain under control, "Reeve?"

"Almost done," the dark-haired engineer replied as he hit a few buttons on the small device he held in his hand and waited until the cuff completely sealed itself, "Done."

"Excellent."

After that, Rufus turned his attention over to Rude in all attempts to avoid Reno before he did or said something else without thinking, "Rude, I'm assigning the night-shift to you."

Then he turned to Tseng and nodded before waving his hand at them both in a 'follow me' motion while telling Reeve he was dismissed.

* * *

"Why were you late?" Rufus asked Rude, the moment the door was closed behind them as the three of them stood together in the hall.

"We lost contact with the Turks at the Villa, Sir."

"And?"

With a brush to the bang, Rufus gave a quick nod to Reeve as the man excused himself while walking by. Then he returned his attention to Rude with a cocked brow as he waited for an answer.

With a slightly nervous adjustment of his tie, Rude took a hard swallow and then he answered, "It appears as if the Villa is no longer there," before he dug into his jacket and pulled out the photos he took from one of their choppers when he got concerned and decided he'd check on it himself, "There's no trace, Sir."

"Meteor?" Rufus asked with a tired sigh as he studied the pictures and then turned his attention to the door Reno was behind.

"It appears that way, Sir."

"Hm," Rufus mused as he lazily handed the photos over to Tseng who was being rather obvious in his desire to see them. Then he took a step closer to the door and continued to stare at it without giving any hint to what he was thinking. After that, he aloofly mentioned, "I take it we'll have to recruit six more Turks."

"Sir?" Tseng asked a little cautiously as he half-paid attention to the photos and to Rufus' suddenly quiet nature.

With a shake to his head, Rufus waived his hand at Tseng in a manner to suggest that he shouldn't be concerned, and then he distantly muttered, "Curious they didn't blow the place when we were all there."

Then he turned to Tseng again and pulled out a cigarette, simply to hold onto it, "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Perhaps it was an afterthought," Tseng suggested, only half-believing his own words.

"Perhaps."

With a cocked brow, Rufus turned his attention over to Rude.

"Normally, I would prefer to put you in charge of such an investigation. However, Reno is of equal importance to me and I don't want anyone else watching over him except for the two of you. I feel he would be most comfortable with people he's familiar with."

"Understood, Sir."

"Very well…"

Then he nodded to assure himself of his thoughts.

"Jared has been with us the longest and has had the liberty of working closely with the three of you over the years. I feel he may be adequately trained enough to be able to take on this task. Then, perhaps…" he started, and looked over to Tseng to regard the man's reaction over his suggestion, "Once Elena has settled down, she may be able to work alongside him."

"I'm sure she'd be more than happy to investigate the matter, Sir," Tseng commented with a respectful nod. After all, it involved the people that took her daughter and she'd probably be more than willing to want to get to the bottom of it, despite the fact that they'd already gotten Allysia back.

Simply nodding in response, Rufus turned his attention back to Rude and suggested that he get rested for the evening before returning to watch over Reno. After that, he placed his unlit cigarette in his mouth and commenced to leave the infirmary so he could light it.

"Sir!" Tseng called and ran after him as Rude left in the opposite direction.

"Yes?"

"Since I'm going to be spending a good deal of time with Reno during the times he's most-likely to be awake, I feel I have a right to know –"

"It was a micro-tracking system," Rufus answered, knowing full-well that Tseng was going to ask him what Erryn had injected into Reno. In fact, it was the very same system that Reno injected her with decades ago, "I felt it would benefit us to have something that couldn't be removed."

"And the reason for the secrecy?"

"He may be working with the enemy," Rufus coldly answered before he added with a slightly bitter edge, "And if I recall correctly, those were your words, Tseng."

* * *

By the time the evening came by, Marcus found himself standing outside the facility on Goblin Island in which Ten-ji's long-term scientist took residence in. It was a dire and cold building that was constructed mostly of underground, leaky corridors that reminded Marcus of nothing more than an elaborately designed dungeon.

It was a place he'd spent many a nightmarish night in, not just for his own alterations to keep him as close to a genetic mirror of something he felt stole his life, but also as a witness to the macabre experiments performed on Aldrich in an attempt to restore the man's life to something bearing a semblance close to liveable.

Only, the results never seemed like anything more than torture.

Funny, he thought. Both he and Aldrich seemed to hold a similar resentment towards someone they felt stole their lives, or at the very least, seemed to get away with something that should have been theirs to begin with.

Albeit, their antagonists were two different people.

It was unimportant though, he told himself, as he stood in the pouring rain and let it wash the blood he'd soaked himself in from the unfortunate ex-Soldier's predicament, along with his own. He felt he was entitled to a settlement for the wound he felt he could have avoided if it wasn't for the stubborn resistance of the overly-enhanced clone.

That was how he saw Cloud. The genetically enhanced _creature_ was nothing more than a broken copy of something that used to exist. He was a combination of elements – a combination of people – and he hardly seemed worth the effort to keep alive after he was done with him.

Unfortunately, he was ordered not to kill the animal. But that would soon change, he assured himself, almost with a sickly smile playing across his bitter mouth.

And thankfully, he'd managed to collect enough of the serum that the prison used to keep that _thing_ compliant enough to last them for several months.

However, he hoped the ordeal would never last that long.

After all, he figured the photo's he'd taken of that broken heap should have been enough to satisfy Ten-ji after he arrived.

But it didn't.

"Marcus!" Ten-ji disapprovingly called from the opening of the facility as he watched the black-clad figure outstretch his arms in the downpour while turning his face to the darkening grey skies with a broken cigarette between his teeth.

Despite the fact that Ten-ji viewed the abomination as nothing more than insanity at its best, he knew it was his best chance at gaining control in the one area he'd always had trouble with.

"Get your ass back in here, you idiot!"

The man only hoped that Marcus' growing insubordination wasn't going to ruin things any further than he already suspected he was responsible for.

Then he muttered with a sigh when the only response he received was nothing more than a diabolical chuckle that resounded in madness, "Your dinner's getting cold."

Apparently, beating the man seemed to be having less and less of an effect.

* * *

Revised: August 25, 2010


	12. A Grain of Sand

**Chapter 12: A Grain of Sand**

* * *

On the first night of Reno's unsure return, Tseng wanted nothing more than to return to his wife and daughter. He couldn't help but be tempted by the promise of life being returned to normal. However, he knew it wouldn't happen just like that. But still, he was a man, and men were allowed to dream, even if they were as dispassionate as Tseng often appeared. 

Unfortunately, there was something nagging in the back of his head that he just couldn't shake. Not to mention, the disappearance of the Villa was also something he was finding disturbing. But that was secondary, since it was already under investigation.

So, once Rude came to relieve him for the night shift, and the awkward greetings and introductions to the mildly-sedated redhead were out of the way, Tseng decided he'd make a quick visit to his wife to let her know he had some important work to catch up on. She wasn't exactly thrilled, but she'd worked under Shinra long enough to know it was more or less 'par for the course'. So, with a sigh and a quick feel in the hallway outside of Allysia's bedroom, she said, "Fine… But don't take too long," leaving Tseng to honestly not want to take too long.

After all that, the slender Wutain found himself parking his car on the outskirts of Edge near a worn out shack, with broken windows and a broken door, and stepping out into the pouring rain with a take-out bag in his hand. With a heavy sigh, he tapped lightly on the partially ajar door and hoped he hadn't made the trip for nothing.

He could have made a call to ensure his trip wasn't in vain. But with Rufus being suspicious of him over everything he'd hidden from him so far, he felt it was best to avoid anything the man could listen in on. He was probably right to do so as well. He'd known Rufus long enough to know the man was less than scrupulous when it came to his curiosity, and after a few moments of silence and being soaked to the bone by the heavy rain, he was finally greeted by the commonly silent man on the other side.

"Tseng." Vincent greeted, as he opened the door to reveal a near-empty room with nothing more than an old mattress on the floor and a worn crate near the far wall.

"Vince." Tseng replied, and then he placed the bag into the man's hand and nodded at the quiet and inexpressive look, as the man who generally adorned himself with the accents of gold and red wore nothing but the buckled black leather underneath, simply stared at the bag. "No meat or animal by-products." Tseng assured, as the pale man stepped out of the way in invitation.

With a quiet resolve, Vincent looked over the Wutain to note the soaked state the man was in, and walked into the dingy bathroom to grab a ratty towel for the man. Then he sat down by the broken and dirt-stained window with his knees bent, before picking at the contents of the bag.

While Vincent rummaged through the contents and chose mostly greens to slowly chew on, Tseng commenced to drying his hair off while trying to collect his thoughts, before he simply stood there and stared at the pale man who said nothing and stared out the window.

Figuring he might as well get what he needed to get off his chest, he finally said with a slight hesitancy. " Reno called Rufus 'Marcus'." He'd known it all along, but he wanted to hear Reno verify it, which he never did.

Simply nodding, Vincent picked through the bag again and chose a piece of lettuce to sample. "We suspected as much." He said distantly, keeping his attention outside. Then he placed the bag down and lowered his head as if he was attempting to hide behind the cloak he normally wore and solemnly said. "I found Cloud's sword." After that, he looked over at the dark corner where the sword laid against the wall, making Tseng have to squint and move closer in order to see it properly in the dim lighting of the room.

_Leviathan…_

"You think –?"

"I know." Vincent corrected. In fact, there was no doubt in his mind that the younger man had been captured. Then he picked up the bag again and resumed to pick through it, while Tseng stood there with his hand over his mouth and a new impending sense of dread.

In all honesty, Tseng never really wanted to see anything bad happen to the ex-Soldier.

- - -

It took almost a week for Erryn to be fully satisfied with Reno's health. It was a little too long for Rufus' liking, but he wasn't about to argue with her. As much as she seemed to clash with nearly everyone, the woman knew what she was doing. Besides, Rufus couldn't help but suspect her attitude had a lot to do with the fact that it was a simple side-effect from living in the Slums, since Reno often came across the same way. Only, Reno possessed a certain charm that Rufus always found desirable.

Erryn didn't.

But she said she'd help him though, and she was doing just that.

And with words of harsh advice, and not always things that Rufus wanted to hear or listen to, she would tell him what he needed to do and not do. She was honest and unafraid to say what was on her mind, even when she was afraid, winning herself an odd sort of respect from the younger President, and leaving him to believe that the woman truly lacked the ability to tell a lie. And unlike Tseng, whom Rufus was sure was hiding something, and who only seemed to want to direct Rufus away from Reno, she at least gave him ideas on how to win the man back.

She also did her best at trying to convince Reno that Rufus was nothing to fear, and much to the President's liking, she seemed to be making headway.

- - -

Also, during that week, Rufus made every attempt to rekindle, at the very least, some sort of friendship with the redhead by making his presence grow more dominant with each day. It was hard for him at first, to avoid going to the infirmary during his breaks and staying for the evenings. But as Erryn said, "Don't push it," He decided he'd follow that advice. He knew that her only concern was for Reno's health, and therefore, she was the least-likely person to steer him in the wrong direction.

He also found himself paying more mind to his appearance again, and started grooming himself, much like he did before Reno went into stasis. And to everyone's cautious surprise, it was almost like the old Rufus had merely gone on holiday and had finally returned. There were still some odd inconsistencies though. Because truthfully, no one changes over night, even it if it's to go back to something near what they used to be, and Rufus was no exception.

But he gave it his best though, and he even took another piece of Erryn's advice, which he found somewhat hard at first, and much to his own surprise. He did it nonetheless, however, and he cut back on the alcohol. He didn't quit altogether though, and he still managed to drown himself the moment he wound up in his apartment all by himself, which often led him back to his office to sleep at his desk. Of course, his excuse was as it always was…

He needed to catch up on his work.

On the fourth day, he found that he could sit closer to the redhead without the man flinching or seeming too nervous around him, and he even ordered that the cuff be released to allow Reno more comfort and freedom in his room. Of course, the door was always to remain locked, and both Tseng and Rude never let their guard down for a second. Despite the fact that they all wanted nothing more than to trust the man, they still couldn't avoid the fact that Reno may have been under the wrong influence of which he was still keeping quiet about.

The man was also a trained killer, and it would have been outright negligent to ever let that thought slide.

By the fifth day, Rufus felt certain enough that it would be all right to dismiss Tseng for a short time, while he stayed down by Reno's side, allowing him to talk to the uncharacteristically quiet redhead for a while in private. Nothing extraordinary was exchanged between them, but Reno did finally go out of his way to make one of his usual snide and mocking comments in regards to why Rufus thought it was so cold in the building.

When all the President did as a response was stare at him with a strangely uncertain look, Reno elaborated while motioning his hand toward the man and said. "The layers, Man… It ain't that cold in here. Why doncha stay a while… relax… take off the fuckin coat."

If it wasn't for Rufus' unrelenting resolve that was practically beaten into him by his father, he probably would have smiled.

But he didn't…

Even though he wanted to.

Instead, he offered the man answers to his curious questions in regards to the stasis they kept him in and why. Then, whether it was based on some kind of judgement or simply a desire to appease the man and give him everything he wanted, Rufus offered to take him down to the lab to show him where they kept him.

"I'm afraid it's only been under construction for a few months." He warned. "But it might help set your mind at ease if you see it."

But he was disappointed when the redhead eyed him cautiously and asked. "Can Tseng come with us?" Almost like he was afraid to go anywhere alone with Rufus.

"Certainly." Rufus answered, with a hidden disappointment, as he looked to the side and wondered if he should have left, while they both fell unnaturally quiet.

He knew there was something about him that the redhead was afraid of, and although that was generally something he actually enjoyed from most people, it was something that tore him apart when it came from Reno, particularly at that point in time.

He also suspected that Tseng might have known why.

- - -

Well, after that trying week, and even going so far as to show Reno the surveillance of the Cryogenics lab to prove to him that he really was there, and even allowing him to inspect the area his pod resided in, it was finally time to bring Reno home.

And like a giddy child, Rufus found himself going through everything with a strange anticipation to ensure everything was as perfect and comfortable for the redhead as was possible. However, Rufus being Rufus, he practically had to fight with himself over whether or not to put that damn jacket away that was still hanging over the back of the sofa. But Erryn was there to help him out and simply said. "Just put the damn thing away." As she lit a cigarette and walked into Reno's room to help out with making it seem like that was where Reno resided. "There'll be plenty of times where you can give him shit for not puttin things away."

With a slight aggravation over how she spoke to him, he simply nodded and did as she said. She was, after all, most-likely right.

Then with only an hour left, he found himself fretting over his appearance and nearly poured himself a drink to calm himself down. But he thought better of it the moment Erryn stopped in the frame of the door and set her judging grey eyes upon him, while shaking her head in disapproval.

With a subtle nod, Rufus muttered, "Right," and hesitantly placed the bottle back in the cupboard. Then he lit a cigarette and found himself uncharacteristically turning to her and asking "How do I look?"

"Desperate." She said, and then she sighed when she realized Rufus didn't find the comment very amusing as he set his cold gaze upon her. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable for thinking it was okay to say something like that to a man with a reputation such as his, she quietly mumbled "Sorry" with her head down, as she came up to him hesitantly, and motioned her hand toward the scarf around his neck in a manner of permission to adjust it for him. "I didn't mean it like that."

Then she added when he lifted his chin to let her fix it, and caught her attention when he flinched slightly, almost like he was going to grab his gun and shoot her, simply for touching him. "It's just…" With a slight hesitation, she was going to say she simply didn't expect him to ever ask her that kind of question, but instead, she found herself more curious about his reaction to her touch and asked. "You don't like bein touched, do you?" In a manner of surprise, as she turned her eyes to study his cold return after she finished adjusting the scarf.

"That's none of your concern." He answered with a slight chill. Then to change the topic, he found himself equally musing over her. "In all the time you've been under my employment, I've never seen you leave the building."

"Are you watchin me?"

"I watch everyone." He answered matter-of-factly, knowing full-well that she knew that. "You don't even leave to buy groceries." He pointed out, and then he added with a strange puzzlement. "In fact, I'm not the only one that's noticed."

"Oh?" she asked, and took a step back once she was satisfied with the way the scarf sat.

Nodding, Rufus adjusted his coat, and studied her reaction for a short while as she brought her hand unconsciously to her scar as if she suddenly felt it was all that was visible of her. "I realize I've never taken the time to get to know you… or anyone for that matter." Rufus indulged without any kind of emotion. "But I do take it upon myself to observe those under my employment. And I couldn't help but notice that for the last four years, Reeve seemed to be more than aware of the fact that you ate in the cafeterias and spent most of your time either in the labs or in your apartment."

Then he opened his fridge to take out some food for the dinner he planned on preparing for Reno.

"I'm assuming that's why he took to buying your groceries for you."

"No offence, Rufus." She said rather hesitantly, and decided she'd help out a little by pulling out some cookware for him. "But that's creepy."

"I'm well-aware of that." He answered casually, as he pulled out a knife and started his preparations.

"So, why do you do it then?"

"I find you curious." Not seeing anything wrong with anything he'd ever done, he simply continued to chop at the vegetables while elaborating a little. "You're the only person under my employment that knows a part of Reno that no one else knows."

"Oh." She mused, and then she shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably and scratched at her scar. "Well, anythin you wanna know about him, you're gonna have to ask him."

"In time." Rufus mused. Somewhat disappointed over the fact that she was probably the most mysterious person under the roof of Shinra, and was also the hardest to find anything on.

- - -

Now, at this point, it would simply seem pointless to focus too much on the smaller events involving Allysia's growing fascination with Reno, or the more secretive event involving Tseng and Vincent's search for Cloud that took place within the next month after Reno was brought home. Except to say that it didn't take the redhead long to find everything, except the fridge, to be mildly familiar.

And of course, it would go without saying that several small mistakes were made on Rufus' behalf, simply because he couldn't keep his hands off the man. Now, we're not talking about anything perverse or overly flirtatious. It is after all, Rufus we're talking about.

So before you jump to any naughty conclusions, allow me to fill you in…

Let's start by saying that Rufus simply felt there was no reason for anyone to watch over Reno during the times the President was at home, and that made perfect sense. After all, the last thing Rufus wanted was _Tseng_ or Rude hanging around while he was trying his best, in the only way he knew how, to rekindle his relationship with the man.

So, every evening, Rufus made the man dinner, causing Reno to be somewhat leery over the fact that he simply couldn't see the man ever doing that. I'll add here too, that Reno was becoming slightly more comfortable with the man as each day passed, realising that he was a completely different person than who he initially confused him with, which, if you haven't guessed by now, was Marcus.

Actually, there was simply no way the two men could be confused with one another, despite the fact that they looked identical. However, that strange coldness was similar, and so was the oddly bitter glare that hid somewhere beneath the surface. Even the strange Mako glow to the eyes was similar, as was the voice. But the movements were entirely different, as was the mannerism in which Rufus, at times, struck Reno as almost…

Flirtatious?

It must have been his imagination though. But he couldn't help but notice that, sometimes, Rufus would brush his arm or hand against him with a feathery touch, supposedly by accident. Other times, he'd catch the man staring at him, but the look in his eyes never really showed any interest; he was simply staring. But then again, Reno found himself doing the same when Rufus wasn't looking, and he never really knew why.

He figured he was simply trying to figure the strange President out.

And let's reflect on that one night where Reno could have sworn the man pulled a strand of hair out of his head, and when Reno turned around to glare at him, he simply said he thought it was a loose hair.

But that didn't exactly explain why he stuck it in his pocket when he thought Reno wasn't looking.

Then there was the even stranger event when Reno burned himself on the stove after insisting that Rufus let him cook for a change. The reaction was a slight shock, as Rufus came up to him and said. "Let me see that."

Wondering why the man wanted to see it, he let him look at it anyway, and then he simply stood there and stared at the man when he ran his fingers over it gently and commented that it was going to blister, and kissed it lightly before realizing what he'd done.

Actually, they both fell a little silent for a moment, and Reno oddly didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he simply stood there and stared at the top of the man's head since he appeared to have frozen in time. In the meantime, Rufus silently cursed at himself and turned his attention toward the fridge while tying to figure out what the hell kind of explanation he was going to give. Perhaps a drink would have rectified the matter, or perhaps if he'd been drinking, he could have used it as an excuse, and the redhead hardly seemed drunk enough to be able to convince him that it never happened.

But unfortunately, nothing useful was coming to mind as the usually controlled man came up with the only thing he could come up with.

"I'll get you a potion." He said, and quickly left the kitchen, leaving Reno to suddenly realize it was awfully hot in the apartment, before he grabbed the open bottle of scotch on the counter and drank straight from it.

_Fuck the glass, _ Reno thought.

Maybe a cold shower would help…

- - -

But those weren't the only strange things that happened. There were things that simply didn't make sense to the redhead, like why in the hell was he the President's roommate in the first place? He couldn't help but notice the place was extremely immaculate and completely out of character for himself. However, when the question arose during the day when Tseng was present and Rufus was at work, the answer came out rather simply.

"Rufus gave your apartment away." The man told him, and when he noticed the confused expression that pretty much said 'that don't make sense', he elaborated a little further. "He needed an apartment for one of the new Turks on short notice." Then after taking a sip of his coffee, Tseng went on to say. "Of course, the building has been renovated and extended since then."

"So…" Reno started as the cogs turning in his head were practically visible to the Wutain. "If the place has been extended, why am I still in this apartment?"

Well, there was an answer to that question. However, Tseng couldn't quite think of one at the moment, and he wound up sitting there with his lips pursed before suddenly saying. "Have you had a chance to see the training room since you've been back?" Then he got up and motioned for Reno to follow. "We've made quite a few enhancements that you'd probably find interesting. Of course, I won't be able to allow you to try anything out. But you'd still probably find it interesting, particularly the mechanical aspects of it. However, if you'd like, I could probably get permission to allow you to sit in on one of the training sessions and…"

_Blah, blah, blah… _

Following the man anyway, Reno couldn't help but think that was probably the most he'd ever heard the Wutain say without taking a breath.

In fact, it was probably the most he'd ever said… ever.

Was it suspicious to the redhead?

Well…

Hell yeah.

- - -

Anyway…

There was still more that left Reno questioning, and left him becoming more and more curious with each day. For instance, there were a couple of times that he and Rufus simply started arguing over nothing, without either of them really knowing who started it and getting rather heated over it as well. Each time, it ended with them slamming their bedroom doors, and then showering.

Why in the hell they always showered after that was something they should have probably found curious. But either way, there was still more…

A couple of times it even became physical, and that was generally after some sort of weird flash Reno couldn't recall the content of. All he really did know, was that he'd accuse Rufus of something and Rufus would deny it, and then he'd throw something at him and Rufus would go all strange and grab him, telling him to clear out his messed-up head because he was a deranged maniac. There were other things he'd call him too, but maniac seemed to be Rufus' favourite name for him.

Then, there was the strange fight over Cloud, which seemed to be quite a heated topic for some reason as Reno defended him and Rufus condemned him, and, consequently, furniture and the word "Slut" was involved.

Did he feel threatened or hateful toward Rufus though? Considering the impact of whatever it was between them, he should have been running, like he did with Marcus. But for some weird reason, he found himself wanting more from the man. In fact, they both seemed to enjoy fighting with each other; it was almost like…

Foreplay?

"Is it hot in here?" Rufus asked, with a suddenly curious calm, while he held his fists in the collar of Reno's shirt and his mouth dangerously close to the other man's.

Not answering the man, they both simply turned to look at the thermostat and mused over the fact that it seemed to be a normal temperature. "M-Maybe it's broken."

"Perhaps." Rufus replied, and let go quickly to brush his hair back with both hands. "I believe I'm going to take a shower."

"Yeah…" Reno agreed, and decided that a shower wasn't such a bad idea. "M-me too."

At that, Rufus made his way to his private bathroom and Reno quickly found himself in the main one.

Oddly enough though, they never seemed to run out of hot water.

Not that either of them honestly would have noticed.

- - -

With all that aside though, the least questionable person Reno got to know was probably Rude, whom, since Rufus had removed the need for a nightshift, alternated the day watch with Tseng. The man seemed to be void of the uptight avoidance that Tseng possessed, and the bizarre and questionable behaviour that Rufus seemed to possess, bringing some sort of balance to the redhead's uncertain existence.

However, just like Tseng, Rude also became quite uncomfortable whenever Reno started asking too many questions about why he was sharing an apartment with Rufus. But unlike Tseng, Rude didn't start babbling away like he was trying to cut the redhead off from the possibility of thinking about anything in particular. Instead, he'd stiffen up a little, and then appear to carefully gauge out his answers.

In fact, his answer to why Reno never got one of the newer apartments made a hell of a lot more sense than an invitation to see the training room.

He simply said, "They all filled up when we expanded the Turks, and we never knew how long we'd have to keep you in stasis for."

Why in the Lifestream Tseng never thought of that, was simply beyond reason. Because it was probably the most sensible explanation to give, and it seemed to satiate Reno's curiosity enough to make him stop asking.

"Ya got a girlfriend… right?" Reno asked, after nodding to what Rude told him.

With a returning nod, Rude sat back slightly to pull out his wallet and then he pulled out a small photo of her to show the man.

"Lucky man." Reno muttered at the picture. He couldn't help but feel the man definitely had good taste, even though Reno was more partial to blondes.

"Her name's Tifa." Rude answered impassively, and then he set his wallet on the table when he saw Reno curiously study it.

"How long ya been seein her?"

"Over six years."

"Long time…" Reno mused, as he felt a strange familiarity over her image. Then he sighed and sat forward with his arms on the table while still studying the picture some more. "Ya think ya might marry her?"

Not answering, Rude simply dug into his pocket again and placed a small velvet case on the table for Reno to look at.

"Aww." The redhead drawled with a big grin when he saw it, and then he batted his eyes at Rude playfully while saying "I never got ya nothin… Ya should'n have." Then he opened it up and turned quite serious when he saw it. "Fuck man, ain't no way she's gonna say no ta that."

"That's what I'm hoping."

"So, when ya gonna pop the question?"

"I've had two chances already." Rude answered honestly, and collected the case when it was handed back to him. However, he kept the second one secret.

"Really?" The redhead asked, and set his attention back on the picture again. "Ya gettin cold feet?"

"I've never been very good with the women." Rude confessed, as he put it back in his pocket. "And each time, something came up before I finally got the nerve to ask her."

"That sucks… How'd ya snag her in the first place if ya ain't no good with the ladies?" Reno asked, while digging around for a cigarette. "No offence, Man… But she don't exactly look like an easy catch."

"You left me no choice."

"I left ya no choice?" He repeated, while searching his pockets for his lighter. "What'd I do? Hold a gun ta yer head?" Then he chuckled and pointed his finger in the air like it was a gun and snickered out. "Ask that bitch out or I'll shoot ya, Man!"

"Not exactly." With a deep breath at the fact that Reno was still an idiot, but likeable, Rude leaned forward and took another sip from his coffee. "You just gave me the push I needed."

"So… we we're good friend's, huh?" Reno asked, with an almost guilty look on his face.

Simply nodding again, Rude let out a large yawn and fell forward, into an unexpected slumber.

"Way ta make me feel like shit, Man." Reno muttered, and then he checked his watch before getting up and placing the picture down by the man's hand.

He figured he had two hours at best, and hoped he didn't put too much sedative into the man's coffee. Judging by his size, he figured he'd need to over-mix it a bit. Then he placed his fingers over the pulse on the man's neck to ensure he was all right, before nodding to himself with a bit of relief.

He couldn't help but like the man a little, and honestly didn't want to hospitalize him, or worse. But there was something that had been bothering him way too much, and he needed to get an answer. And since no one was giving him one, and he honestly couldn't ask, he decided there was only one way left to find it.

At that, he found himself in the cutlery drawer looking for anything that looked like it could act as a possible device for picking locks.

Finally, after finding two metal skewers, he figured he could make due with them, and made his way over to Rufus' room while bending them into shape and checking his watch again. "One hour and forty-eight minutes." He muttered to himself, and proceeded to pick the lock on the President's door.

Once he got it open, he found himself craning his neck to peak at the sleeping Turk in the kitchen, and then he took a hard gulp and opened the door.

At first glance, there was really nothing odd about the room, except for the strangely fresh scent of mint.

The bed was adorned with clean, white sheets, and a black, silky-looking comforter, and not so surprisingly, it was neatly made. Beside it, there was a small black lacquer nightstand with a small crystal vase holding a red rose, and to his left, was a short, long black dresser. Against the left wall, was another black dresser, but it was tall in contrast to the other, longer one, and it rested next to a mirrored closet. There was only one window, above the bed, that seemed to follow the theme of everything else; it was adorned with a white sheer pocket rod curtain, and a heavier black over drapery lay overtop. And the carpeting was a soft, plush white.

To the right was a private washroom that Reno didn't seem to be very interested in at that point, and instead, he found himself creeping over to the closet and opening it carefully and quietly. Once again, there was no surprise in there either. There was a row of five white silk shirts, three thin black leather vests, and five pairs of white silk pants, neatly pressed and carefully hung. There were also three blazer-type jackets, also white, and three white overcoats.

"Obsessive… Compulsive… Anal." Reno mused, as he fingered through the hangars and snickered to himself. "One fer each day, huh, Rufus?" Then he shook his head and wondered if the man's pajamas were in the same state while muttering "'Cept fer yer vests an coats."

He was almost about to check when two things crossed his mind. One was, why in the hell did he want to know about the man's pajamas? And the other was the suddenly curious attention on a few black suits pushed to the far, back end of the closet that he didn't notice at first.

Figuring he'd resist the urge to open the top drawers of the dressers, he decided he'd inspect the black suits instead, and discovered they were Turk uniforms. "I never knew Rufus was a Turk." Reno mused, and wondered why no one bothered to tell him as he ran his fingers through the bluish-toned shirts with faint vertical stripes and black zippered blazers and pants.

Then he shrugged and found himself irresistibly digging through the top drawers of the dressers to find the tall one completely empty, leaving him somewhat curious about by it was there in the first place. After that, he wound up at the lower dresser to find the man's pajamas, and sure enough, it was just what he suspected, partly. He wasn't expecting them to be made of a delicate silk, but he did expect there to be six pairs, and for them all to be the same, and white, and he strongly suspected that if he checked the laundry hamper in the man's private bathroom, he'd find the seventh pair.

"So, ya hafta start everythin out on a Sunday." He mused quietly again, realizing that it was Monday, and only one particle of clothing was missing from each pair, along with what the man would have been wearing for the day. "Poor kid… what kinda childhood did ya have?"

After being unable to resist the urge to truly verify his suspicions, he was in the man's bathroom and checking the hamper to find a pair of pajamas, a silk shirt, and a silk pair of pants from the day before, folded neatly on the top of the lid, along with two white towels lying inside.

"Well, ya definitely ain't Marcus." He assured himself with a sigh of relief. As he made that assumption, he found himself looking over the immaculately clean white porcelain, and another small, crystal vase with a red rose in it. "Fer one, ya never leave the building… 'cept on Wednesdays when ya sneak out early in the mornin, an yer gone fer a couple hours…"

Yes, he'd been watching the man rather attentively.

"An I saw Marcus a helluva lot more'n that…"

While muttering away to himself to let it sink in, he found himself walking up to the rose and raising his brow at it. "Ya like flowers… Ya like comfort… Yer neurotic… But ya make every attempt ta hide that… an ya like… silk."

Raising his brow again, he found himself studying, not just the objects but the style of the decoration. "Ya got a thing fer straight lines suggestin yer practical an controlled… an ya don't like things outta place." Then he turned his attention back to the rose. "But that don't exactly explain the roses, now, does it?"

_Cuz that's definitely out of place…_

"Yer everythin Marcus ain't."

Despite the fact that he was feeling a little better about who Rufus wasn't, he couldn't help but find himself drawn to wanting to know who Rufus was. But just like the man, everything that belonged to him was just as hard to read beyond the surface of it. Everything was too black and white, and Reno was sure there was more.

After checking his watch again, he noted that he had one hour and two minutes left, and stood there with the corner of his cheek screwed in thought when something under the bed caught his eye. Then with a cautious glance through the door at the sleeping Turk again, he found himself carefully kneeling down and pulling out an oddly worn-out box. "So…" Reno mused, and pulled out the skewers to pick the lock on it. "There's more."

Unfortunately, Reno never got the chance to find out what was in the box, nor did he even get to pick the lock on it.

Because Rufus' voice from the door startled the hell out of him. "Learning, are we?"

However, when Reno jumped and turned around, he realized it wasn't Rufus that was standing there. "How the fuck did you get in here?" He found himself shakily asking, as Marcus took a step forward, and Reno scooted back, on the floor, toward Rufus' end table by the bed, and noticed the strange scar across the man's throat.

"That's not a very intelligent question." Marcus mused darkly as he lunged forward, when Reno went to push himself up, and he wound up pressing the redhead to the wall against the man's will. "I thought you'd have known the answer to that by now."

"Fuckin Exit." Reno muttered with his eyes to the side, and his hands around the wrist gripping the front of his shirt.

"Very good." Marcus purred, and reached into his back pocket while continuing to hold the redhead. "And I must say, it certainly was nice of you to finally give me the opportunity to pay you visit by putting the only witness within earshot to sleep."

"How the fuck did ya know about that?"

With nothing more than a cruel snicker, Marcus twisted his fist more into the shirt and practically hissed. "I've _missed_ you _so_ much." Before he placed what he was pulling out of his pocket roughly into the redhead's hand.

Then he let go and pushed the box back under the bed with his foot while muttering "Leave the man his dignity," as Reno looked at the photos placed in his hand and paled. "Fuckin Ifrit…" He muttered and felt his knees weaken.

"Mm." Marcus mused, while suddenly taking an interest in his surroundings and sneering at the sight. "I hoped you'd feel that way." Then he placed his hand on the wall by Reno's head and leaned forward. "He's still alive, you know." After that, he leaned closer so that his mouth was tauntingly close to the redhead's ear and purred "But I'm willing to make a bet with you that he wishes he _wasn't_," causing the redhead to cringe as the photos of Cloud fell to the floor from his suddenly listless hand.

"What the hell do you want from me?" almost unable to find his voice, the words came out like a worn out rasp while he attempted to slink away from the man.

"_Ten-ji_…" Marcus started, and placed his other hand on the redhead's shoulder, to hold him in place, while staring darkly into the green before him with a sickly grin turning at the corner of his mouth. "Would like you to co-operate with him." Then he dug his fingers in and knocked the redhead's knees apart with his own in every attempt to make the man as uncomfortable as was possible. "He's _very_ upset with you right now."

"Ain't nothin I can do." Reno admitted with a grimace. "I'm trapped here."

"Ah." Marcus purred again, and ran his other hand down Reno's arm with the armlet, causing the redhead to cringe again. "We're very aware of that." He pointed out as his fingers toyed over the metal around Reno's wrist, and then he reached into a small packet around his waist to pull out an extra Exit Materia and placed it into the armlet around his wrist. "I'm sure you'll figure out what to do with that in time… From what I understand, you're a quick learner."

"I ain't crazy enough ta pay him a visit."

"No one said you were." Marcus purred again, and pressed his groin against the redhead's, eliciting a small, surprised cry. Then he chuckled at him and purred once more. "This is _my_ gift to you."

Utterly confused, Reno simply stared at the lunatic in mortified horror over what the hell he wanted from him now.

"You killed his men, Reno." After snaking his hand back up Reno's arm, Marcus wound up wrapping his hand, roughly, around the redhead's neck with his thumb under his jaw, forcing him to keep his attention on the madness in front of him. "And as payment, he'd like me to remind you that anyone under his employment has the privilege of coming and going as we please." Then with a tilt to his head as the confused green simply swallowed nervously, he continued with his mouth dangerously close to the other's. "He'd also like me to remind you that we _always_ know what's going on in these walls, and _anyone_ we feel you're close to, could always wind up like you're poor, unfortunate boyfriend… _Cloud_? Was it?"

"Ya can't fuckin do this." Reno hissed, and tried to turn his head away but was stopped by Marcus' thumb digging deeper into the soft spot of his jaw.

"Oh, yes we can…" Marcus answered darkly. Then he let go of the redhead and pushed him to the floor before looking at his own watch and muttering. "Ten-ji will let you know what he wants in time. But for now… He simply wants you to collect as much information about Rufus and the Turks as you can, preferably weaknesses. He's absolutely _thrilled _that you've decided to work from the inside for him once again. However…" Turning his attention over to the unconscious Turk in the kitchen, Marcus decided he'd throw his own little request in as well, without really elaborating that it was his own. "It's preferable if you don't get too _close_ to the President."

Then he muttered out "Exit" and disappeared, leaving the redhead to check his own watch nervously, and quickly grab the photo's to hide them in his back pocket, before haphazardly ensuring everything was left as he found it, and leaving the room.

- - -

Completely unsure of what to do, Reno found himself disregarding the fact that he'd put Rude to sleep and suddenly wound up on his way to Tseng's office in a panic. Out of everyone he'd gotten to know, he couldn't help but feel that Tseng was the best confident he could trust, and wound up disregarding the protests of the man's secretary as he walked hurriedly by her to brashly invite himself into the Wutain's office.

"I need yer help."

" Reno?" Tseng said with surprise, as he looked up from his monitor and placed his hands on his desk in concern. "What's on your mind?"

"I can trust ya… right?" The redhead hesitantly muttered, while scratching at the back of his neck nervously.

"Of course you can." He answered, and took note of the fact that Rude wasn't with him. But concerned over the chances of putting a blanket over what Reno wanted to tell him, he found himself refraining from asking why that was, and motioned his hands to the chair in front of his desk instead.

All Reno did was pace though, and shake his head while trying to figure out how he was going to ask for the man's help.

Should he tell him what happened? He knew he couldn't. Marcus made it quite obvious that they could come in at any time. He also made it quite clear that they could watch him as well, making anything he did or said a risk. Gaia, he couldn't help but realize he'd made a big mistake by coming to the Wutain's office and had to think about what the hell he was going to say rectify that mistake.

Suddenly frowning at the frazzled redhead, Tseng couldn't help but notice the red marks on the man's neck and got up to grab the redhead and hold him still in concern. " Reno." He started as the younger man's eyes darted away. "Tell me what happened."

"Nothin." Reno said, and tried to pull away. But the action was anticipated, and Tseng didn't let go. "I… I fell down."

"Really." Tseng muttered, and tilted Reno's head, knowing damn-well that wasn't what happened. Then he remembered how his daughter was taken right under his and Elena's noses, and what Reno called Rufus the first day he was back, and with a big sigh, Tseng brushed Reno's hair back in a fatherly way, before he started guiding the man to his private bathroom where he knew no one would be listening or watching, while suddenly meeting a paranoid resistance. "Shinra has been under attack for several years now." Tseng confessed, as he closed the door behind him. "We suspect they're using Exit Materia."

Sighing again, Tseng pursed his lips in thought while wondering if he should really be saying anything. But then again, Reno was honestly his only hope. So, he decided he'd lean his back-side against the counter and start with a short history lesson as a way to test the redhead's reaction. "I'd like to tell you something, Reno." He started, before adding. "However, whatever I tell you, I'd like to ensure that it never leaves this room."

With a confused nod, Reno dug into his pocket to take out a toothpick to chew on while he anxiously waited for whatever the man was about to share with him.

"A little known fact that goes back to the Wutain resistance against Shinra was that the Wutains had managed to master the Exit Materia… Are you familiar with the Wutain resistance?" Tseng asked, and nodded slightly when the redhead nodded back. "Very good." He said, a little thankful that he wouldn't have to explain too much. "Well, at the head of the Wutain army was a man named Ten-ji." He informed, and studied the redhead's reaction, as the man slowly turned his eyes to him like he recognised the name.

With a nod, Tseng felt he was on the right track and continued. "This man took pride in training his soldiers, along with his son who also bared the same name, to master this Materia and manipulate its uses in ways that would help the army. And in time, it was what helped the Wutains win the war and drive Shinra away from the entire Island. Unfortunately, Ten-ji was cut down in his prime by Mako poisoning which was believed to be an assassination performed by Shinra. However, those most loyal to him strongly suspected it was his own son."

"His own son?"

"Yes." With another nod, Tseng regarded the redhead and continued again. "Ten-ji… junior… was ambitious about his desire to continue with the attacks against Shinra. He became rather antagonistic toward his father when he was angered by the man's desire to put an end to those attacks out of a sheer desire to put an end to a war that was already won." With a slightly sarcastic smirk, Tseng brushed at his pants, and stared at the floor for a moment. "He became unscrupulous though, and unknown to the majority of his own people, he became one of the strongest leaders in an underground movement that involved more than just Wutai, and in time, he moved on to even more questionable activities and wound up controlling the Don of Wall Market, and all other forms of criminal activity, including Mako development for use as a street drug."

"He's a powerful man, Reno. And to make matters worse, he's also a powerful delegate for Wutai and is highly regarded by them. But he was believed to be dead for decades, even though the Wutains suspiciously refused to admit to it. Now, I suppose I could simply come to the conclusion that the Wutains knew something the rest of us didn't since the majority of Wutai still sees Shinra as the enemy, regardless of the fact that Rufus is trying to clean up that mess."

Then with a knowing look, Tseng regarded the nervous redhead in front of him and smoothed his hair back with the palm of his hand before saying. "I suppose I could also come to the conclusion that you know something the rest of us don't as well, and given the fact that it's Ten-ji I'm talking about, I can also understand the reason for your silence. But I need to ask…" With a stern resolution, Tseng simply watched the redhead chew more nervously on his toothpick before grabbing another one. "He's alive, isn't he?"

Knowing he was right, simply by reaction alone, Tseng wound up cursing silently when his PHS rang the moment Reno went to open his mouth, and he muttered out "Leviathan" before answering the line to a slurring and distraught Rude. Simply closing his eyes with a shake to his head, he honestly thought he could feel a headache coming on and answered. "It's okay. He's right here… in my office." Then he hung up and turned his attention back to Reno.

"You drugged Rude, didn't you."

"I… uh…" Scratching the back of his neck nervously, Reno honestly couldn't come up with a lie and sheepishly admitted. "Yeah."

Simply frowning at the man, Tseng stepped forward and tilted Reno's head to view the marks on his neck, before oddly musing. "It would appear the Exit Materia is still being used by Ten-ji and his men." Then he went on to say, almost to himself, "Rufus is going to go nuts if he sees this," and ignored the suddenly inquisitive look he received from the redhead.

Then to test the waters, he decided he'd attempt a small glimpse that he knew more than most people within the walls of Shinra. And the fact that he was running out of time due to the fact that one hell of an angry Rude was on his way to collect the younger man, he decided to go ahead and just say it the only way he knew how. "One would think Marcus would have been smarter than to leave a mark like that… unless it was his intention…"

"Marcus?" Reno asked cautiously, as the two men locked eyes. One with a brown-eyed knowing, and the other with a green-eyed hesitancy over what the Wutain could possibly be aware of.

"There's no need to answer me, Reno." Tseng finally consoled after an awkwardly silent moment, proving there was a very good reason the man was the head of the Turks. "However…" He started, as he heard Rude knock on his door. "I'd like everything we've discussed to stay in this room. And…" Then he put his hand on the doorknob and turned to the quiet redhead as he regarded Reno's neck with a nod. "I don't want Rufus knowing about Marcus just yet."

After that, he opened the door and motioned for Reno to follow before he called a greeting for Rude to enter.

- - -

It was originally Rude's intention to grab Reno and wring his scrawny little neck the moment he saw him. But instead, he found himself hesitating and setting his focus on the man's neck with a sudden concern before he turned his attention to Tseng and demanded. "What the hell happened to his neck?"

"I found Reno in the training room." Tseng said, like it was the truth. "Apparently, he thought he'd take the opportunity to take advantage of some of the new methods of training, and got a little overwhelmed." Then he patted Reno on the shoulder and bowed his head in a feigned shame. "I'm afraid it was my fault for showing the man too much too soon."

Trusting Tseng enough to go along what he just made up on the fly, Reno simply shrugged and hung his head in his own feigned shame before muttering out "Sorry… was'n thinkin."

Looking at them both a little sceptically, Rude simply nodded and said. "I take it you talked to him about that then?"

"Yes. I doubt Reno will be doing it again." Tseng answered, as he felt something inconspicuously go into his pocket before the redhead walked toward Rude to be escorted back to his apartment.

Then the man returned to his desk after the door closed. But before sitting down, he reached into his pocket and paled at the sight of the photo's Reno so carefully placed there.

"Leviathan." He muttered, and then he quickly doctored the surveillance of the training room to make his story believable, before leaving to go and pay Vincent a visit with his latest concern in regards to Cloud.

- - -

Two days had passed since Reno's conversation with Tseng, and he was assured that the Wutain was doing everything he could do in regards to finding the unfortunate ex-Soldier. However, it was one more thing Tseng requested to never leave his private bathroom.

"I'll let you know the second I find anything, Reno." He assured, leaving the redhead oddly comforted, but somewhat suspicious as to why he wanted to keep so many things hidden from Rufus.

But he trusted the man and felt he knew best. So, he went along with everything the Turk requested from him, including a disturbing request to play along with Ten-ji.

He felt guilty though.

Mostly because the more he got to know the aloof President, the more he found he didn't want to hide things from him. However, there was more than just Tseng's desire to keep things hidden; there was also Marcus' threat, and he took that rather seriously too.

Besides all that though, there were other things, stranger things that involved the younger President that he also couldn't put his finger on, and he found himself suddenly reflecting over certain incidences that raised even more questions.

For one, the flashes he was having back when he was with Marcus suddenly started to make a strange sort of sense to him. He wasn't really sure what he thought or felt about it, but he found himself relieved that maybe it wasn't Marcus, nonetheless.

There was also the things Marcus had said to him that never really made sense. But they were starting to in a strange sort of way, and as Reno sat on the edge of his bed in the middle of the night, he found himself unable to sleep as he played everything over in his head. He couldn't help but feel that Rufus had been inadvertently flirting with him after about a week of him being back in what was supposedly his home; another strange fact that still didn't really make a lot of sense to him, despite the explanations. Stranger still, Reno couldn't help but reflect on the fact that he may have been liking it.

Then, there was what Marcus said about not getting too close to the President. Why was that? With a strangely anxious feeling, Reno found himself muttering out "Fuck it" as he pulled a shirt off his dresser to loosely throw on so he wasn't just in his boxers and decided he'd get himself a drink.

But he found himself outside the President's door and just staring at it when it suddenly hit him that there were no Turk uniforms hanging in his own closet. Didn't they tell him he used to be a Turk? Even more curious, whose Turk uniforms were hanging in Rufus' closet? And what was with the empty dresser?

_Don't be silly._ He told himself, as he shook his head and started to walk toward the kitchen, before stopping in the middle of the living room to look back at Rufus' door. He couldn't possibly be…

No, that was just a silly thought. But then he found himself suddenly wondering why Cloud kissed him and he never stopped him, and the strange fight that he and Rufus had over that very same ex-Soldier.

_There's an explanation… Yer jus confused… That's all…_

A drink…

A drink would certainly help him to clear out his head enough to fall back into the nightmares he could never remember, that seemed to haunt him nearly every single night.

But that wasn't what he did.

Instead he found himself back at Rufus' door and tapping on it lightly. _I'll jus ask him about the uniforms… That's all._

He was certain Rufus would either tell him they were his or that he simply decided to remove them from Reno's room because he wasn't a Turk anymore. Both would be a sensible explanation.

But that wasn't what he said when the tired President opened his door and stood in the frame with an almost pissed off look for having been wakened up in the middle of the night.

"Please tell me you have something important to say." Rufus said with a yawn, and brushed his hand through his hair before pulling his collar up and over the thin scars around his neck. Then he simply stood there and stared, unimpressed, at the quiet redhead who looked like he was caught in someone's headlights. "For Gaia's sake, Reno. I have an important meeting in the morning with Tjen Syn."

"We ain't friends…" Reno finally said, somewhat hesitantly and disregardful to all of Marcus' warnings, as he stared into the tired and irritated blue before him. "Are we."


	13. In Hope and Fear

**Chapter 13: In Hope and Fear**

* * *

Rufus didn't know how to answer the man. Whether it had something to do with the fact that he was still half asleep, or simply uncertain as to what Reno was getting at, he feared embarrassing himself and jumping to the wrong conclusion. Instead, he simply stood there and stared into the eyes of the half-naked man standing in front of him, who was waiting for an answer. 

But he didn't want to ask the man what he meant for fear that it wasn't what he thought.

However, those thoughts were all cut short when Reno suddenly placed the heals of his hands on the man's shoulders and pulled the collar away from his neck as he realized why Rufus wore the scarf, and raised his brow. In all manner of attempting to hang on to his dignity, Rufus simply straightened up and demanded. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" While taking a step back as the redhead followed with a step forward.

"Waitin fer an answer." The redhead said rather seriously, as he backed the suddenly alarmed President into the wall by the bathroom door. In all honesty, Reno was getting a little tired of the way everyone suspiciously danced around any of the questions he had in regards to his and Rufus' relationship, and he suddenly realised he was determined to find out why that was. "An the way I see it…" He started, as he placed the palms of his hands on the wall by the sides of Rufus' head to test the waters. "I'm gonna get one."

"You're drunk." Rufus replied, a little on the cold side, while still attempting to hold whatever control he had left, even though he feared it may have been slipping.

"I'm always drunk." Reno rebutted carelessly, and shrugged like it really shouldn't have been an issue.

And before Rufus had a chance to make his own comeback, his words were suddenly cut off by the unexpected action that was overwhelmingly sealing him off from speaking, or even breathing for that matter, as the sickly rapture he'd been longing for had finally made it's contact. Then with a ravishing hunger, the memory-defunct maniac gripped his hands into Rufus' hair to hold his head still when he met with initial resistance, stopping the President from struggling away as the redhead decided that if the man wasn't going to answer him verbally, he'd get his answer another way.

He figured he'd ram his tongue down the President's throat and test the reaction.

And to Rufus, it was just like the first time, and just like the first time, all the uncertainty and sudden fear of falling for something that never would catch him returned, along with all the apprehension and the desire to say 'what the hell. I can handle this. There isn't much I can't handle'. But that was a lie, and he knew that. He never could handle Reno. But he wrapped his arms around the man like he needed him more than anything else anyway.

However, he suddenly changed his mind after his initial acceptance and didn't exactly 'go with it' that time.

That's when the fight started, and the hands were suddenly pawing at one other in a push and pull attempt to battle off the weakness of their own wills more so than the other, and the controversy over even daring to admit that he felt anything began.

"_Get_ your _disgusting_ hands off me." Rufus growled threateningly as he managed to reluctantly break away, and then he forcefully pushed the redhead back before yelling. "Don't you _ever_ touch me like that again!"

"_Don't_ tell me you didn't fucking feel anything!" Reno retaliated, as a flash of blue danced across his eyes like it often did when the man was pissed off, giving him that extra bit of strength and speed at the same time, before he smashed his fist into the wall by Rufus' head.

"I didn't." The President answered stubbornly and coldly, making every attempt to fight off the shake from the adrenaline suddenly rushing through his veins. All this in turn, caused the inevitable argument to begin.

After which, harsh words and pushes were involved, as the redhead accused him of pulling him closer and liking it, while the overly-driven President denied it and demanded that he leave his room.

"Yer a fuckin piece'a shit, Rufus." Reno grumbled, as he pulled his shirt back up over his shoulders that Rufus nearly took off, and stormed out to slam the door of his own room behind him in a fit of sexual frustration.

Ah, yes…

Rufus _was_ a fucking piece of shit.

And no one probably felt that way about him more than he did at that very moment as he walked into his bathroom and closed the door behind him to sink lowly to the floor. He honestly had no idea why he reacted that way. After everything he'd been through and waited for, he thought it was what he wanted. But for some reason beyond Rufus' comprehension, he panicked. He thought about Cloud, and all the things involving Aldrich. He thought about his father's condemnations, and about how many times he'd nearly lost the redhead while slowly watching him nearly die, and he realized he simply couldn't handle it.

Perhaps a drink would help, he told himself, and he suddenly didn't care about Erryn's advice not to succumb to the poison. He'd found himself a new weakness, and he stood up to quickly indulge in it. He decided he didn't care about the consequences as he realized he didn't even care what it was that he drank.

To some people, self-destruction is a blissful event in itself.

But Rufus wasn't the only one who had that thought suddenly cross his mind, because the moment he was outside his bedroom door, Reno was outside of his… with the same thought in mind.

This time, it was both of them caught in some sort of imaginary headlight as Reno sneered at him for leading him on and Rufus smirked snobbishly while straightening his shirt, as the mixture of frozen blue and fiery green simply locked in a demented challenge over nothing.

"I _hate_ you, Rufus." Reno hissed at the pompous ass, as yet another swirl of blue hit the man's eyes like a kaleidoscope.

And as a simple reaction, Rufus coldly replied as he practically purred. "You always did." And then he narrowed his eyes bitterly at the personality-confused twit before him.

After that, the next thing they both knew, they were on the floor with Rufus trying to get away, and Reno refusing to let go, neither of them really paying attention to the bruising force in which they fought with one another in. And as Rufus finally got to his feet, and Reno followed with heavy pants, it was Rufus' turn, and the redhead was pressed to the wall with a strong grunt as the President smashed his mouth against his as if he was suddenly trying to devour five years worth of the man.

During all this time, neither of them paid mind to the vase that had been smashed to the floor from their struggles, as they wound up negligently on the broken shards and not caring.

There was really no reason for them to care. They had other things on their minds as they both pawed at each other, once again, in an attempt to remove the other's clothing and to keep their own on; the purpose of which was unknown, and hardly practical considering where they both seemingly wanted things to go as they each fought for a passage downward.

But it didn't take long for Rufus to finally mutter out "Fuck me" in between the suffocating encounters and the starving tugs, as if he'd finally run out of breath and stubbornness, and wanted nothing more than to be ravished by whatever insanity the redhead had to offer. And in between harsh kisses and bites on his neck, he found his arms wrapped around the gangly beast on top of him and muttered it out again, with a desperate airiness, as if he were intoxicated by whatever drug the redhead suddenly became to him. "Gaia… Fuck me."

And he got what he wanted.

But that didn't change the fact that it had been over five years since Rufus had been touched, and he wound up screaming through his teeth as his nails tore relentlessly down Reno's back, eliciting a cross-eyed groan from the redhead as if he liked it, when the bohemian neglected the fact that he might have considered being a little gentle to start with.

That was all fine though, because once the motions started and the adjustments were made, all mannerism of discomfort was forgotten and replaced with a heightened sense of euphoria. In fact, it was so beyond any form of denial or resistance that when Reno wound up demanding Rufus touch himself due to the fact that he couldn't release his bruising grip on the man's hips for fear of dropping him and ruining whatever twisted moment they were sharing, the President didn't really give a shit.

Dignity was the last thing on Rufus' mind at that point anyway, and he did as he was told while muttering away incoherently as if he were thanking the gods, only to be rewarded with that sudden sense of bliss a lot sooner than he expected with a releasing scream to Gaia like he finally understood the meaning to his existence.

I suppose it went without saying though. In all honesty, the experience was practically virginal for them both considering it had been some time since either of them had the opportunity to hit that kind of summit. And before either of them knew it, Reno was soon to follow with a guttural groan and his own thanks to Gaia, before collapsing above the worn out mess below him.

"Get off me." Rufus finally demanded, while attempting to regain some of his control after a few short breaths, and was rewarded by a tired smack to the side of his face and a blunt "No."

Gaia, how much he missed Reno's insolence.

And in a manner of reluctance and futility, Rufus finally got to do what he'd been wanting to do since Reno's return, and wound up getting his fingers stuck in the knotted mass of red hair while Reno returned the strange affection and placed his own hand in the fading golden strands near Rufus' temple.

"Ya still want me ta get off?" Reno finally asked, after what seemed like minutes of them simply holding one another and stroking the other's hair. Then he turned his head to regard the man's strangely complacent profile as the blonde simply stared at the ceiling and calmly said. "No."

After that, the redhead nudged his nose lightly against the man's cheek, and lightly pressed his lips to the man's jaw before muttering in a barely audible tone. "Sorry."

"For what?"

"Fer hurtin ya."

It might not have seemed like it, but he meant it for so much more than what it sounded like. He couldn't help but get the feeling he owed it to the man for some strange reason.

- - -

"Good morning, Cloud." Came a dark sounding greeting, as the echoing taps of the syringe against the bars rang through his head. Too tired and beaten to care anymore, he simply sat there like the chained beast he was treated like and neglected to resist the pull of the chains as Marcus cranked the length back into the walls to keep himself safe from the unpredictable copy of a man before him. "It's time for your daily dose."

With a taunting wave of the needle in the air, Marcus simply snorted with a sneer as he watched the ex-Soldier turn his head in the opposite direction of the man. There was nothing else Cloud could have done.

"Hm." Marcus muttered, as he received what was becoming the routine 'silent treatment', and proceeded to unlock the barred door before entering.

As he knelt in front of the creature, he simply stared with that taunting and sickly glow to his eyes as the corner of his mouth turned slightly. Then he removed the cap and gave the ex-Soldier the shot before smiling again and placing his hands in the back of the clone's hair to roughly pull his attention toward him.

"I'm afraid I may have fucked up." Marcus confessed, and then he teasingly ran his fingers through the back of the man's head. "I wanted to use you as a means to achieve something desirable."

With a sneer, Cloud's hateful eyes met with the man's, proving that he still hadn't been broken, despite the shape he was in, and sarcastically muttered out. "I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"I bet you are." With a bitter snort, Marcus played his fingers down and over the collar around Cloud's neck that he put on _special_ for him, and grinned a little coldly. "I was hoping you'd be enough to keep Reno away from my –… Rufus." He hesitated, and moved his eyes to the side as he dug around for a cigarette. "But unfortunately, it appears as though they can't keep their hands off each other."

"What makes you think I care?"

"Oh… I think you care." Marcus muttered, as he brought his lighter to the cigarette and blew the smoke into the ex-Soldier's face. "They fuck like animals… Did you know that?"

Then he leaned closer to the clone and brought his mouth closer to his ear so he could purr into it.

"It appears as if your little redhead doesn't take no for an answer… I honestly never expected him to be so disgustingly dominating…" With a slight pause, Marcus turned his head away to take a drag from his cigarette before returning his attention back to the beast and letting the smoke out in his direction again before brushing his mouth against the man's ear. "I'm curious… Was he like that with you?"

With a sickly grin returning, Marcus leaned back and wiped the spit off the side of his face and muttered out. "I thought not. You hardly seem like the type that would bend over for anyone." After that, he back-handed the ex-Soldier hard enough to have the man grimace as the force met with the unforgiving length of the collar's chain around his neck.

"Well." Marcus said, as he stood. "I certainly hope for your sake that he doesn't forget about you all together." Once he was satisfied with the impact he felt he was having, he stepped outside the door and commenced to lock it while adding. "I'm almost tempted to let you go, Cloud."

After which, he released the length of the chains to allow the animal his limited freedom within the dank and leaky cell so finely suited to him, and practically purred. "I doubt I would even have to influence the amount of damage you could cause on that relationship. And I don't doubt for a second, that that _sap_ of a President would even leave you alone if that _demented_ vagrant asked him nicely enough."

"Why the hell do you care about what they do?"

"Because it _affects_ me, Cloud." Marcus answered with a sickly tone, as he wrapped his hands around the bars and rested his forehead against them. "They feed off each other, and give one another a strength that is almost impenetrable."

"Making it harder for you to step in and replace him."

With a cold Glare, Marcus simply shivered at the accusation, and then he took a drag from his cigarette again while saying nothing to either verify or deny that spiteful and heinous conclusion.

- - -

"Fuck."

Suddenly bolting straight up and then breathing out "Ah!" from the jolt of discomfort he felt from the night before, Rufus jumped out of bed, thinking he'd overslept, and with a slight disorientation, he grabbed his watch to put it on, only to realize that the time was different from the clock.

For a moment, he simply stared at it and wondered if it was broken, until he heard the playful snicker from the redhead that was lying beside him.

"That's not funny." He said coldly, and then he tossed his pillow in irritation at the mocking redhead for setting his clock an hour and a half ahead after he fell asleep.

"I thought it was."

"Well, it's not." Leaning over to adjust his clock right down to the second of his watch, he simply sat there and waited for the seconds to hit the zero mark before hitting the minute button on his clock to keep them exactly in sync. "Don't ever touch my clock again." He warned, as he ignored the curious regard from the redhead, and sorely got up.

"Hm." Reno muttered curiously, as he watched Rufus carefully walk to the bathroom to get ready for the morning. "Ya can't even handle havin it a minute off?"

"What?" Rufus called from the bathroom, over the running water, as he started getting his shower ready.

"I said…" Reno repeated, as he followed the man to the bathroom and rested against the frame of the door. "Ya can't even handle havin it a minute off."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't be ridiculous." The redhead repeated, and then he chewed on his bottom lip and leaned back to look at the clock. "So, it would'n bother ya if I went over there an set it a minute ahead, then?"

With a light sigh and a shake to his head, Rufus said with a slight edge "Just leave it alone," Before he stuck his hand under the water to test the temperature.

"So, ya _can't _handle it."

"I didn't say that."

"Yer actin like it."

" Reno…" Rufus started, as he began to remove the top to his pajamas. "You know I'm –"

"Anal?"

"That's not was I was going to say."

"No…" Reno agreed, and tilted his head when Rufus removed the shirt to reveal the scars, that the redhead must have overlooked the night before, along his torso. "But that's what ya are." He said, somewhat slowly and distantly, as his attention turned curious and he stepped forward to get a closer look.

"What are you doing?" Suddenly defensive over Reno's unexpected curiosity, Rufus found himself taking an unconscious step backward.

"I…" A little hesitant over the man's reaction, Reno turned his eyes apologetically to the President and suddenly scratched at the back of his neck. "Ya want me ta get ya a Potion?"

"For what?"

"Ya seem a little uncomfortable."

"I'm fine."

Sucking back on his bottom lip again, Reno sheepishly nodded and muttered out. "I'll… go… start breakfast."

"Wait." Rufus suddenly said, and grabbed onto the man's arm to pull him closer. "I didn't think it was going to be this difficult." He confessed, and pulled the man even closer to place his hand adoringly on the redhead's face. "In fact, I believe a part of me hoped, like a child, that you'd somehow remember me above all others."

Then he added a little sadly, as he ran his ring-finger lightly along Reno's scar and stared into the clear green eyes as he confusingly admitted to the redhead. "But I suppose there's a price I have to pay for getting what I ask for."

-

_"I want to be the first to see what those beautiful eyes would look like if you were freed from all of your personal demons." _

-

Unfortunately though, Rufus knew he wasn't the first. He was beaten by Cloud and whoever else had their hands on him before he ever got the chance. But he attempted to shake it off as he pulled the man more into his arms, and simply held him while trying to convince himself that at least he got to see it.

He was slightly surprised though, when the redhead finally said with a stronger rasp than usual. "If it means anythin ta ya… I remember ya tellin me ya never kissed a man before…" Then Reno added with an almost nervous snicker at his statement. "Whatever that means…"

And if the man could have cried, he probably would have broken down right then and there. However, instead, he simply pushed the redhead back a little so he could regard him with a slight turn at the corner of his mouth. "Why don't you join me?" He found himself saying, as he tilted his head toward the shower and hoped for no resistance.

"Be more'n happy to."

Now, don't go jumping to any naughty conclusions. Erryn told Rufus to take things slow, and that's exactly what he did.

Seriously, it was nothing more than a shared shower.

Even though there was the odd teasing touch here, and the odd playful kiss there, nothing beyond that happened. And Rufus discovered he was star-crossed all over again as the playful redhead irritated the hell out of him with all of his annoying habits and splashing of the water in his face.

- - -

_"Ah… You're awake." _

_As Hojo stood above the confused and unfocused form, he practically drooled on him from the sickly excitement over the success of his experiment. _

_"I must admit, you weren't my first choice." He confessed, before leaning over to brush the coal-black strands away from the healing scar across the man's forehead. _

_With an unsure difficulty in his breaths, the man muttered out in a strong and gasp-like like slur. "What've you done to me?" _

_"I've given you a gift." The scientist crooned, with a hint of satisfaction as he started undoing the straps that held the man down. "You should thank me." _

_"You tried to kill me." The man suddenly remembered, and went to push himself up. But he fell to the floor from a lack of strength and wound up shakily on his knees with his hand over his gut where the bullet from Hojo's gun entered. Despite that fact though, the pain he felt was unnatural compared to other wounds of the same nature. _

_"I did no such thing." Hojo dementedly stated, and then he awkwardly snickered through his nose as he nodded and placed his curled finger over his chin. "In fact… I've given you the gift of eternal life. You never have to worry about death ever again." _

_Suddenly wrapping his hands around his head from the unexpected pulsing that seemed to come from nowhere, the man found himself crying out with his eyes shut tight from the sudden inability to look at anything or listen to anything without it overwhelming him and hurting. "Boris is gonna have you put away for this." _

_"I don't think so." The demented scientist rebutted. "I have no intention of him ever finding out about any of the things you've discovered." Then he knelt down and pulled a mirror to the front of the man and sickly grinned at him. "Why don't you open your eyes and see what I've done for you?" _

_"You've turned me into a fucking monster." The man hissed in horror, and then he reeled back with his hands over his face in abhorrence toward the abomination he was faced with. _

_"Perhaps this will teach you to stay out of other people's business." Hojo crooned, as he crept over to the man crouching in disgust against the table he was modified on. Then he adjusted his glasses and licked his lips before darkly adding. "And perhaps you'll even learn to keep your hands off of things that don't belong to you, as well." _

_"You never cared about her – Agh!" _

_"What an interesting reaction." Hojo mused, and reached over to quickly grab his clipboard and his pen to start taking notes. "I suppose I should have warned you about the side-effects of the gift I've so graciously given you. However, I didn't expect you to be in so much pain right away. But I suppose I should have expected some surprises, since the child I used for the basis of this research was exceptionally off the charts. And I had been planning on using him for this project when he was mature enough… But given the discovery of recent events… I decided you'd do just fine." _

_"As a result, I had to make some modifications to your system in order to mirror his natural resistances and abilities as close as possible. I even had to go so far as to clone some of his cells I kept from his culture samples to graft onto your own. Unfortunately, you're still not an exact match. But with some minor alterations…" With a long enough pause for effect, Hojo tapped his middle finger on the man's temple, near the edge of the healing scar and caused the man to flinch at the discomfort of the heightened sensations. "I got you close enough." _

_"A child__…__" Was all the man could focus on as he trembled uncontrollably from a sudden cold sweat. Then he remembered what started the fight between him and the crazed scientist to begin with, before it escalated into the Jenova Project. "They were fucking 'children', Hojo." _

_"Yes. That was the one I caught you reading up on… Renault Salvani… I decided that since you found those reports, by putting your business where it didn't belong, to be so interesting, that you wouldn't mind volunteering yourself for the project." _

_"You killed those children!" _

_"Unlike the Turks, I believe murder is simply immoral." Hojo corrected, while scribbling something down on his clipboard. "I'm afraid science claimed the lives of those children, and four of them got away. However…" He said, and knelt down in front of the man with a curious tilt to his head. "I only found it necessary to track two of them." _

_With a pained grunt, the man curled up with his arms wrapped around his gut again from a sickened sensation of what felt like something growing inside of him. _

_"And speaking of children, I thought you'd be interested to know that I took the liberty in talking Lucrecia into some tests… And I was very pleased to discover the child she was carrying for the Jenova project was indeed, mine… I must admit, it was a relief to see that you didn't ruin that too." Taking a moment to scribble something on his clipboard again while the man on the floor started drooling uncontrollably, Hojo tilted his head curiously as his eyes grew colder and he bitterly added. "However, the whole ordeal left me thinking that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ensure that you never get the opportunity to ruin anyone else's plans… or relationships for that matter." _

_"You twisted 'fuck'!" The man screamed, as he was grabbed by two of Hojo's assistants before they started dragging him out of the lab and into the hall, as the scientist followed with a sickly grin. "Boris'll have your fucking head for this, Hojo!" _

_"Boris will never know. I'm taking the liberty to ensure that you'll never be seen again." Then he ordered his men to take the 'neutered' animal to the room with the children he lost from the experiments in it. "Chaos should be getting hungry soon." He sickly added. "But I want to talk to him after Chaos has had its fill and before we seal the room off entirely. He's going to want to know what's happening to him, and I'm going to be more than happy to tell him." _

_"You're all crazy! All of you! Aggh! You're not gonna get away with this you crazy ba – aggh! Gyah…! Leviathan… Help me… Ngh… Please… Someone…" _

_Suddenly convulsing, the man was unable to hear anything more that Hojo was saying, and he wound up screaming even louder as whatever sensation he was feeling started to tear through his existence. _

_"Better hurry." Hojo called with a child-like excitement. "We don't want him changing in the hallway." _

- - -

"Vince." Tseng mildly said to the man, as he placed his hand carefully on his arm to try and wake him up. "Vince…" He said again, and then he frowned at the silent convulsions the man was in as he laid on the floor in the middle of the shack as if he'd passed out. With a bow to his head, the Wutain placed the bag of food he brought in with him on the floor so he could try to shake the man awake with both hands.

But he was shocked slightly when he was knocked over as the man suddenly bolted upright, without much of a warning, and ran straight for the bathroom before dropping to his knees in front of the toilet and ramming his fingers down his throat. Although Tseng was never one to be fond of those particular sounds, he was finding himself getting used to it since his relationship was rekindled with what was left of his friend and fellow-partner in the Turks.

So, with a reluctant sigh, the Wutain pushed himself up and decided he'd walk into the mildew and filth that was probably once a fairly decent looking room. Only it had become tainted and dark from the smashed bulb that still sat in its socket and the shattered mirror that once used to rest above the sink, along with the lack of care from years of neglect. In fact, it almost seemed like every reflective and light-giving surface had either been destroyed or tarnished.

"I brought you some clean water." The Wutain said, as he placed the bottle on the floor near the pale heap of a man, and then he stood straight and frowned at the sight of the face-cloth that had nearly become one with the counter as mildew took its toll on them both. With a bit of a sigh, he looked around and decided that the towel hanging near him would do fine, and commenced to turn the broken tap with a bit of learned skill to dampen the cloth a bit.

Then he knelt down on the floor beside the man and said in a light tone while waiting for the man to finish his purging. "I also brought you some more sedatives and some breakfast… some kind of tofu… vegetable thing."

Almost as if Tseng wasn't really there, Vincent simply spit a few more times and then sat back against the stained tub behind him and stared into space as the Wutain wiped the small traces of vomit away from the man's hair. Then he rinsed the towel out again and started wiping at the man's face to help clean him up a bit.

"Drink the water, Vince." The slender Wutain said with a slight command to his voice, as he picked it up and placed it in the man's hand. Then he brushed the man's hair back a little so he could wipe at the man's forehead, doing his best to keep his attention away from the man's scar.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Rufus has a meeting with Tjen Syn this morning." Tseng informed, as the pale man finally seemed to come around and opened the bottle to drink from it. "So, I'm afraid Rude got to pull a two-day shift with Reno, and since I'm not allowed in the building when talks with the Wutains are under way, I figured I'd pay you a visit… seeing as you've decided to stay close to town this time."

"So, you'll be pulling the next two shifts."

With nothing more than a nod at the man's assumption, Tseng carefully finished wiping at the man's face before standing and stretching his stiff legs from kneeling for so long. Then he held out his hand to help the ex-Turk up as well. "Come on. The lady at the restaurant claims her tofu is to die for."

"You should try some of it then."

"You know I prefer _real_ food." Tseng reminded the man, as they walked into the main room and he grabbed his take-out coffee from the floor near the door. "Besides, Elena made me a _man's _breakfast… with all the trimmings." He added teasingly. And with a wry turn at the corner of his mouth, he waved his hand at the bag in Vincent's hand. "None of that girly crap you seem to like."

Then the slender Wutain sighed with his cup to his mouth as he stared out the dirty window, knowing full-well there was a reason the man he was visiting refused to eat meat, or anything related to it for that matter. However, it was never a topic open for discussion.

"I'm going to see Cid." Vincent finally said, after picking through the bag and inspecting the contents.

"When?"

"In a couple of days."

"I'm assuming that means you don't think Cloud is on this continent."

Lowering his head, he simply said without looking up. "It's been over a month." Then he brought the fork to his nose to smell the food before tasting it. "I would have found a lead by now if he were here."

"I'll take you to Rocket Town then." Tseng insisted, and paused long enough to take a sip of his coffee. "I should have no trouble borrowing a chopper for a few hours."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." Then with a slight smirk, Tseng nudged Vincent's shoulder with his knee and then he sat down beside him. "I wouldn't pass up seeing your expression when you get to see Yuffi again for the world."

- - -

"Mm." Rufus mumbled, when he came into the kitchen after getting dressed and he found the redhead back in his boxers and a loosely worn shirt, making his breakfast. "I miss that smell."

"Same thing ya've been makin every mornin." The man muttered with a confused look, and then he shrugged and turned to smile sheepishly at the unreadable President's expression.

"Yes." Rufus admitted, as he regarded the desirable form in front of his stove. After which, he proceeded to pull out his cup and pour his coffee. "But it's not the same as when you do it." Then he took a sip before placing his cup on the counter in order to allow himself the freedom to wrap his arms around the man from behind, and rested his chin on his, hoping-to-be, lover's shoulder. "Why don't you go and get dressed." Rufus sighed, almost regretting making such a suggestion as he wrapped his arms a little more wantonly around the man's waist before smoothly adding. "And I'll finish breakfast." Then he nudged the side of Reno's face with his nose and brushed his lips against the man's jaw, causing a light chill to run down the redhead's spine.

"Gonna be a little hard ta do with ya hangin onta me like that." Reno playfully admitted, as he turned his head slightly to regard the man behind him.

"Perhaps I should let go then."

However, despite the fact that he said it, he came to the conclusion that he didn't want to. So, he didn't.

At least, not until the reason he wanted Reno to get dressed in the first place presented itself as a stern knock on the door.

And with a slightly disappointed sigh, he let go of the man and took the spatula out of his hand while calmly saying. "Rude's here… Go get dressed." Then he commenced to taking over the breakfast while Reno figured getting dressed probably wasn't such a bad idea after all. He also found himself wondering how in the hell the time managed to go by so quickly, considering they woke up an hour and a half earlier than they normally did.

- - -

Now, at this point, it would almost seem like things had gone back to normal. Rufus finally got what he wanted, despite his stubborn resistance, and Reno even got what he wanted, even though he didn't really know what it was that he wanted.

But sadly, there were doubts; because in all honesty, there always were. And as a result, Rufus found himself asking himself if he was doing the right thing. The strange part about that though, was that he never asked himself that question about anything else in his entire life. But let's face it; he was always weak and confused when it came to Reno.

And as for Reno, he knew he definitely felt something for the strangely reclusive President, and despite the fact that he found the man somewhat aloof and cold, he was pretty darn sure the man felt something for him in return. But it didn't change the fact that it left him even more confused about who he was and who he was supposed to be.

Because, when he thought about it, both Ten-ji and Rufus had told him things that were proven to be true and that made perfect sense. And let us not forget the strange requests from Tseng, a man whom Reno felt a weird sort of trust with, to keep things secret that the redhead didn't think he should have been keeping secret. Not to mention, what exactly did Marcus mean when he said Ten-ji was thrilled to have him work from the inside _again_?

Of course, Marcus was a liar…

But that didn't change the fact that Reno found something threateningly familiar about Ten-ji, and Marcus' words struck a strangely familiar chord. But then he wondered if the whole reason Marcus was there to begin with was to confuse the hell out of him, which he was definitely doing.

Well, with those thoughts in Reno's mind, Rufus made his way to his office to meet with the Wutain representative, Tjen Syn.

During that time, the Wutain delegate gave his blessings in regards to Shinra basically being reunited again, and gave Rufus a bottle of his favourite Wutain sake as a gift, before taking a sip of his tea and tapping his ring on the cup. However, I won't bore you too much with the details of such a meeting, except to say that the Wutains were willing to consider banning the Exit Materia if Rufus would consider banning the use of Meteor as a weapon.

It was a fair deal, really.

But Rufus didn't like it.

As far as he was concerned, he had his reasons, and whether or not they made sense to anybody else was unimportant. All that really did matter was that they made perfect sense to him.

Also, during that time, Rude decided he'd make his own coffee; he'd actually been doing it ever since he was sedated. He wasn't exactly the type who liked to make the same mistake twice. Not to mention, he also had his doubts about the training room story. However, he still had no clue as to what might have been the real reason Reno put him to sleep and what really happened during that time. But it didn't stop him from trying to find out.

On the bright side, Reno seemed more content that day and didn't have his usual overdose of questions involving Rufus and Rufus' apartment. Instead, he seemed more interested in getting down to the core of his and Rude's relationship. But Reno did seem a little disappointed when the man refused to share a drink with him, because Rude simply didn't drink when he was on duty.

At least, not anymore.

However, the temptation to indulge was rather strong that day, because the man would have had to be blind to not notice the marks on the redhead's neck, trailing down toward his chest and Gaia knew wherever else. On that part, the mystery as to why Reno's questions in regards to Rufus seemed to have ceased, appeared to be solved. Then, when Reno finally turned away to watch the maid clean up the broken vase with a nostalgic distance in his eyes and a grin on his face, Rude found himself shaking his head in all manner of futility and removing his shades to pinch at the bridge of his nose… because he could strongly sense a headache coming on.

I suppose it would be unfair to leave out the remainder of the events during that day. But not much else really happened. Vincent and Tseng merely sat quietly in each other's company, although for a brief moment, they took the time to compare guns and wound up agreeing that Vincent's was better. Allysia drew Reno a very lovely picture of him and her mom sleeping in a bed together, and Elena blushed wildly while suddenly saying. "We should go," Thinking maybe a visit to see how Reno was doing wasn't such a good idea after all.

Other than that, Reeve went out of his way to bring Erryn a small bag of groceries, much like he'd been doing for some time, and Tifa checked the clock as she got ready for another fancy dinner with Rude. Then she suddenly realised with a suffocating paranoia that, each time they went to such places, Rude always got nervous and acted like he was about to break it off with her.

On another continent, Cloud got to damagingly kick Marcus where it mattered when the prick brought him his dinner, and Ten-ji and Darius did what they always did by the time the evening came by; they did absolutely nothing. After all, they had other people to do it all for them. Of course, there was that brief moment like there so often was, where they both took a moment to reflect on what kind of mental condition Marcus suffered from and whether or not they should just do the sociopath in and save themselves the ongoing headaches.

Yet, in another part of the world, Cid decided he was going to shoot himself if Yuffi didn't get the hell out of his house. Then, he decided he was going to shoot Shera for letting the annoying little twat in and telling her she could stay. But by the time he finally came to a decision, he decided it was best to keep things legal, and found himself outside with a cigar between his teeth while sharpening one of his lances.

And after all that, Rufus finally made it home just before twenty-hundred hours to place a bottle of sake into Reno's hand after relieving Rude for the evening.

_That's interestin…_

Reno thought to himself, when he took the bottle into the kitchen to pour him and Rufus a glass, and the label caught his attention.

_That's the same brand'n year Ten-ji drinks… _


	14. In Silence, We Trust

**Chapter 14: In Silence, We Trust**

* * *

_"I always knew you were fucked up, Renault. But I never expected you to do something like 'that'." Haldric said in a slight sense of shock. He wanted things to go wrong. He even planned it. But he didn't exactly expect what happened to happen, and almost as if it was even too much for him, he took a hesitant step forward to stand by the wailing form he wanted to hurt so badly._

_Distantly, and even almost sympathetically, he found himself unable to focus on the unrecognisable mess, before he turned his attention to the one thing that tortured him relentlessly ever since he discovered he had feelings for him. But as the years progressed, his desire slowly turned to a morbid sense of hatred as it ate away at him… and he still couldn't let go of that which slowly killed him inside._

_"She was your –"_

_"I KNOW WHO SHE FUCKIN WAS!"_

_Normally, Haldric would have been expecting some kind of outburst from the poisonous wreck. But that time, he was simply unprepared and jumped as the knife fell out of the viper's hand and onto the woman's crimson-coloured hair that fanned out in a matted and bloody mess._

_"You set me up." Renault whined, almost as if he was inhaling the words as his emotions rampaged against all sense of control. "You set me up, you sonuvabitch."_

_He was right. He was set up and he knew it, and he also knew why. But unfortunately, he had no one to blame for his actions but himself. _

_"I never told you to fucking do 'that'." Haldric said in disbelief, still unable to make sense out of Renault's actions as he waved his hand at the massacre. It was no secret that the younger boy was unstable; he'd been experiencing it along with him ever since they were abducted and used as lab-rats. Only Renault seemed to have the luxury of not remembering what was done to either of them, or even why they were the way they were._

_Then the world faded, and everything was suddenly black as the redhead stood there in the frozen grasp of what looked like it might have been the one-eyed redhead he'd seen before. But his appearance was different, as if he'd been covered in frost for so long that he'd become the very essence of it._

_It seemed so real that Reno even found himself shivering and chattering his teeth in his presence as the man held the palms of his pale and iridescent hands over Reno's temples._

_"W-why are you… sh-showing me… this?"_

_"Because I have no desire to protect you from yourself anymore." The man answered, before grinning wolfishly at the man, and the younger one's breath materialized in small clouds as it clashed against the cold._

_"Sh-she was my… m-my… m-mother…"_

_"That… she 'was'." Came the answer, as he brought his face closer to the confused redhead's, emanating a frozen chill that stung the core of Reno's lungs. "You have an uncontrollable tempter, '_ _Reno'… And the moment you realized who she was, you snapped." Then he pressed his hands harder on the sides of the man's head. "You turn on people for no reason and without warning."_

_But that wasn't all the senior man wanted to show the vexed male as he held him captive in a frozen and piercing grasp._

_There was more…_

_"W-what's… this?"_

_"Your first mission as a Turk." The one-eyed man answered, and then he closed his eyes as the images flooded Reno's mind with a sharp pain. "Everyone wondered how you managed to pull off such a mission…" Then he brought his mouth closer to the younger man's mouth and lowered his voice to a purring growl. "But you kept your secrets well."_

_"G-Gaia…"_

_At first, he watched himself in the shadows of the halls outside of the President's office, listening in on how President Shinra needed an expendable 'dupe', as he put it, to go into a mission that was sure to be an act of suicide. "I don't want to lose any of my Turks." He simply said, as the other man argued with him about his plans. _

_"Is that why you wanted Renault? So you could send him to his death?"_

_"I don't pay you to ask questions, Tseng." Came the President's threateningly gruff voice. "In fact, I don't even pay you to be a Turk. You just keep that in mind."_

_"No." The man admitted. "But the cover suits you fine."_

_"It suits you too, Tseng." The President reminded him, before he wound up grumbling almost illegibly. "So does your silence." Then after what sounded like the man pouring himself a drink, he snorted at a thought and then mockingly stated. "Don't get upset, 'Wutain'. If all goes well, maybe I can find another use for the street-rat… Maybe something more suitable to your deviant tastes."_

_"I should have killed you when I had the chance."_

_With another snort, the sound of the man's glass hit the desk as he roughly put it down. "Hmph… Then you'd still be working for that sadistic zealot… which I __'__still__'__ highly suspect Vincent has run back to. And let's face it, it suits 'both' our interests to keep you under 'my' employment, even if what you brought back to me seems a little on the 'feminine' side."_

_"Maybe if you weren't so cheap, you could have had both of them back."_

_"There's no need to concern yourself with that, Tseng. The treatments seem to be having an effect."_

_"How convenient for you, Sir." The Wutain commented with a bitter edge. "And if they don't have the effect you want, at least you can always say that your strength has benefited from the experiments."_

_"I think you're starting to care too much, Tseng… That's hardly a preferable quality for someone in you're line of work."_

_After that, the scenery suddenly changed, and the redhead saw himself laying timed charges in an old, heavily armed Villa on the outskirts of Sector 2. And much to his surprise, he'd managed to set the last one without being caught. However, the surprise suddenly dissipated with the sound of the safety being pulled back and the end of a barrel being pressed to the back of his head as he froze and silently cursed._

_"Well… If it isn't the disturbed weapons dealer gone surgical." Came a strong Wutain accent from the shadows in front of him. Then he was lifted by a rough grip around his bicep and placed forcefully into a wooden chair in the room from the strength of the Mideelan man standing behind him. "How nice to see you again, Renault."_

_"I never knew Shinra took to hiring unstable Slum-dwellers for the Turks." The Mideelan commented, as he moved his free hand to the cautious redhead's shoulder to keep him firmly in place._

_"Hmph." The Wutain snorted, and with a wry grin he met his Mideelan friend's eyes with a conniving glow. "Boris will hire anyone if it suits his purpose." Then his attention turned to the young vagrant with the gun pressed to his head. "Even my own assassins who kidnap children and attempt to take his life."_

_After that, he walked up to the redhead and rustled his hair. "Of course, he rarely keeps them around for long." And with a sadistic grin, Ten-ji tilted Renault's head toward him and pulled out a knife to dance it cruelly in front of the boy's hateful green eyes. "Which is most-likely the plan he had in place for you, Renault."_

_-_

_"They tortured you." Aldrich said with a strange fascination, and then he removed his frozen hands from Reno's temples and pulled him into an unforgiving hold. "And you were willing to let them do it until it killed you."_

_-_

_"Ten-ji…" Darius started, as he stood back and stared at his watch while his friend continued with the lesson as to why Renault never should have killed his men and then accepted a position from Shinra, despite the reasons. "We should leave; those timers are programmed to go off any second."_

_"Fuck." Pissed off at the fact that Renault wouldn't tell him where all the charges were, the angry Wutain grabbed the bloody heap by his hair and pulled his face close to his. "You think you're going to get off easily, don't you, you worthless piece of shit."_

_Knowing full-well that he'd lost that round, and paying mind to his partner's urging reminders that they should probably go, Ten-ji decided that he really didn't give a shit about the men he had in the Villa and Grabbed the redhead by the waist to hang onto him before nodding at his partner and muttering out "Exit."_

_-_

_"Nobody fucking cares whether you live or die, you piece of shit! You're nothing but scum, Renault! A worthless parasite!"_

_Not caring, the redhead simply laid there as the angry Wutain continued with the beating as he laid on the grounds of some unknown wooded area. But the words sunk in. In fact, nothing ever sunk in more._

_He 'was' a stain on society and not worth a damn, and he proved it by everything he'd done and didn't do. He was responsible for what he thought was the death of his friend and unwanted lover and his own mother, whom he never even knew. There was so much more though, and he knew that as his life started to slip away…_

_Or so he thought._

_-_

_"What's g-goin on?" Reno found himself asking, as he tried to step away from the frozen essence that refused to let him go._

_"Ren," Was the only word the one-eyed man would offer as it appeared that 'Ren' wasn't as willing to die without a fight as Renault may have been._

_And a deal was struck without Renault ever knowing about it._

_"Don't worry, '_ _Reno'…" Aldrich purred, as his hands slid around to the front and slowly started undoing the buttons on Reno's shirt. "Ren never kept his word."_

_Unable to move or even comprehend what was happening as he listened to himself strike a deal to kill President Shinra, Rufus Shinra, and Tseng Kiukan for being a traitor, all for his own freedom from Ten-ji, and a little revenge toward the President for sending him to his death, he simply stood there as the hands of the man in front of him stung the area over the exposed and fading warmth of his heart._

_"Between you and Ren, you wound up playing both sides and messing with young Rufus' head beyond repair. Then you wound up double-crossing Ten-ji when you finally felt secure enough after sleeping and murdering your way into the second in command of the Turks."_

- - -

A soft whimpering and shaking was what woke Rufus up that night. At first he was too disoriented to realize what was going on and had the worst thoughts run through his head. That was, until he realized it was the redhead lying beside him who was shivering like he was freezing.

As strange as Reno's coldness was, it wasn't the biggest concern on Rufus' mind as he tried to reason with himself that it was simply because he left the window open. No, the bigger concern on Rufus' mind was at how Reno appeared to be struggling with someone that wouldn't let go of him in what seemed like an almost violating way to the younger President. And even more disturbingly, was the redhead begging not to see anymore, and then calling out Rufus' name as if it was the only thing that could save him while tears stained the corners of his eyes.

And of course, like so often in the past, there was the mention of Aldrich's name. Then also, like so often in the past, there was that dead weight that always managed to drag Rufus down to a depth he'd managed to become all too familiar with.

But he decided he'd brush that aside and told himself that he should have expected it. After all, what was over five long years to Rufus, was only a matter of waking months to Reno. So, with a heavy sigh and a short-lived indecision over whether he should wake the man up or not, he leaned over and brushed the red strands back before attempting to gently awaken the redhead.

"Reno…" he said, with a light shake to the man's shoulders, while he prepared himself to be struck at by the man's sudden disorientation like so many times before. " Reno… You're dreaming… Wake up."

Only the redhead didn't strike out at him. Instead, he reeled back almost like he was suddenly appalled by the President and hissed out "Marcus" as if it were Rufus' name. Then after a few bewildered blinks, his eyes ran wildly over the blonde in a manner of uncertainty before he came to terms with the fact that he was in a safe place and leapt forward to wrap his arms around the man as if he never wanted to let go.

"I don't think I wanna remember anythin." He muttered into Rufus' shoulder, and all Rufus did was return the hold while trying to offer as much silent comfort as he could.

- - -

"Very well." Rufus said, in regards to Tseng's request to take a chopper to survey the area. The man told the President he was hoping to find some sort of lead in trying to find Cloud. Of course, he used Rufus' desire as an excuse above his own, and with a sceptical nod and a bit of a darkened glare, the blonde dismissed the man and asked Rude to remain behind while the Wutain humbly took his leave.

"What did she say?" Asked the President, in an attempt to make a small conversation, as the door closed behind Tseng.

With a bit of a confused look, Rude stood at ease and clasped his hands together in front of him before asking. "Sir?"

"Tifa." Rufus elaborated, as he adjusted his coat before sitting down and then preparing a cigarette to light it. "I was under the assumption you were going to propose to her last night."

Somewhat uneasy due to the fact that Rufus rarely showed any concern to the man's private life, he wound up shifting uncomfortably and adjusting his shades. Actually, rarely was an understatement. Rufus _never_ showed any concern. "I never got the chance, Sir."

"I see…" The President mused, and then he took a drag from his cigarette and ran his hand through his hair before awkwardly attempting to continue with the small-talk. "May I ask why?"

"The barmaid at the Seventh Heaven fell suddenly ill, and Tifa had to leave to replace her due to the short notice."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Nodding and then clearing his throat as he watched Rufus take another drag from his cigarette, Rude found himself wishing more so than usual that he could simply turn around and leave. But since he knew he couldn't do that, he wound up turning one of the earrings in his ear, and than carefully muttering. "Sir…"

"Yes?"

"Permission to speak freely, Sir."

"Always."

"May I ask why you've requested me to stay behind?" Knowing full-well there had to be more of a reason than to simply ask him about his dinner with Tifa, he came to the conclusion that it was best to just urge Rufus on. After all, it was no secret that neither of them ever had anything in common, and if one looked closely enough, it was rather obvious that Rude wasn't the only one that was uncomfortable with the President's sudden attempt to talk to him.

After a slight silent moment, Rufus simply stared at his desk and rubbed at his temple. Then he turned his attention up to the large Turk and motioned his hand to the chair in front of his desk. "Please… Sit down." He said ponderously, and then he sat forward in his own seat to tap his ashes into the tray in front of him. "Out of everyone here, you're the only person that ever knew Reno on a personal level."

"I did." Rude agreed, with a slight tightness to his voice.

"Yes… He's changed, hasn't he." Observing out loud, more than asking, Rufus found himself in a position he honestly never thought he'd be in and uncertain how to proceed. "I find myself wondering if this is what he would have been like if his life wasn't taken away from him when he was a child."

"Are you disappointed?"

"No." Rufus said distantly as he stared into space for a moment, and then he shook his head to clear out his mind and took another drag from his cigarette. "I'm uncertain."

"About what?" Rude found himself asking, to his own surprise, as he pulled the chair back and straightened his jacket before seating himself.

"He's happy, Rude." With a cocked brow, Rufus took another drag and then put out his cigarette before clasping his hands atop his desk. "Except for when he sleeps… and I find myself wanting to keep him that way."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at, Sir."

"Would it be right to take that peace away from him by making him remember things he doesn't want to remember?"

"Sir…" Rude said with a sigh, and sat back more comfortably as he thought about what Rufus was saying. In all honesty, the Turk had thought about the same things himself, and even though he was uncomfortable discussing it with Rufus, he completely understood where the man was coming from. However, none of that helped him understand why Rufus chose to speak with him about it instead of Tseng. "I'd be lying if I said it wasn't nice to see him like this. But I also have to remind myself of what happened the last time he remembered something he'd blocked out."

"Yes." Rufus mumbled with a nod, and looked down at his hands as he remembered Reno's breakdown at the Nibelheim mansion. "I certainly hope we won't have to relive such an incident again."

"Agreed." With another awkward silence between the two men, Rude shifted slightly and straightened out his jacket again. "Sir… Was that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No." The President answered as he tried to collect his thoughts, and then he tapped his fingers lightly on the desk before letting out a tired sigh. "Forgive me, Rude. But I'm afraid I can't trust Tseng right now, and I feel you're the only one to turn to in certain matters of a growing concern to me."

"Sir?" Somewhat disbelieving what he just heard, Rude found himself studying the younger man in front of him with a slight alarm.

Unfortunately, Rufus wasn't helping Rude's anxious attention by remaining silent as he pulled out another cigarette while desperately wishing he could go against his resolution to cut down on the alcohol and just have a drink. Then he brushed his bang out of his eyes and exhaled after putting his lighter away. "I suppose I should just ask." He muttered, as if he were talking to someone else in the room that hadn't made their presence known, and then he turned his attention back to Rude and watched him with a silent study.

"In all the time you've known Reno… Has he ever mentioned anything to you about a person named Marcus?"

Simply shaking his head as he searched his thoughts, the big man honestly couldn't remember ever hearing the name before. "May I ask why, Sir?"

Nodding, Rufus felt there was no need to keep his concerns from the large Turk and confessed that Reno had called him Marcus on more than one occasion since he'd been back. "And then he acts like he doesn't remember calling me by that name… But there's another concern I have as well." Rufus added, as he sized the man up again. "The other night I brought home a bottle of sake, and he acted strangely afterwards… Like there was something about it that disturbed him."

"I could always ask Tseng –"

"No." With an unhidden edge to his tone, it was made quite clear that Rufus didn't want Tseng involved. "As I said, I'm afraid I can't trust Tseng anymore."

With no desire to pretend to be ignorant to the fact that he knew damn-well his head Turk was pulling Reno into the private bathroom of his office quite frequently, where there was no surveillance, Rufus had come to the conclusion that Tseng was the last person he wanted to turn to. He was also more than aware of the fact that the Wutain had been meeting with Vincent in private, avoiding the PHS which could be traced.

"In fact, you may very well be the only honest and forthright person left within the ranks." And then he added. "Which is why I feel you're the only person I can turn to right now."

- - -

"Uh… I'm afraid there ain't no kid food." Reno admitted, while he scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly.

"That's fine." Elena said with a sigh, as she leaned against the counter in Rufus' kitchen. "She'll eat whatever you make."

With a nod, Reno went through the cupboards before resorting to the fridge. "She's a cute kid." He muttered, as he rummaged through the contents and pulled out some leftovers. Then he stood there with his hand on the door and chewed on his bottom lip. "She… uh…" He started a little hesitantly, as he tried to work out a brave way to ask an embarrassing question. After which, he lowered his voice and stared at the frame of the door to make sure Allysia was still in the other room with her papers and crayons. "She ain't mine… Is she?"

"Oh, goodness… No." Elena stammered, before laughing nervously. "Rufus would have killed us both if that were the case."

"Ah." With a slight blush at the embarrassment, Reno closed the door to the fridge and put the container on the counter. "It's jus that…"

"It's okay." Cutting him off from having to explain, Elena brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and flushed a little. "I guess I should be a little more careful about what I say in front of her."

"So… We did?"

"It was a long time ago." She admitted, and moved to help him out.

"So… Tseng knows?"

"Yeah."

"He don't mind?"

With a slight giggle, Elena rested her hand on the counter and turned to regard the redhead with an empathic tilt to her head. "He shouldn't… It was my second year after working for Shinra… Tseng and I never even spoke to each other back then."

"So, what happened?" Reno asked, and turned to regard her as well. "Besides the fact that I turned out to be a big jerk."

"Well…" She began while blushing at the 'jerk' comment. Then she chewed on the side of her cheek before answering him honestly, all the while, wishing she'd never said anything in front of Allysia to begin with. "You did what you always did, I guess."

"And that was?"

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Yeah…" Reno muttered, and then he turned his attention back to the leftovers with his brow raised. "Yer a… pretty lady… An ya seem kinda nice…" He admitted before pulling the lid off. "I'm jus wonderin what I might've done ta screw things up… An maybe why…"

Frowning a little, but not really at him, she ran her eyes over the back of his head and then crossed her arms. "You were never really the _committing_ type." Before she continued, she leaned her torso over a little to size Reno's profile up a bit while thinking about what Rude told her before he said she had to watch over the redhead for the first portion of the day. "At least, not until you wound up with Rufus."

"So… was I like… one'a those guys that was gay an jus didn't know it?"

"No." With a thoughtful tone, Elena shook her head a bit and met the redhead's eyes when he turned to look at her with a strong curiosity. "I don't think you were." Then she lowered her eyes and said against her better judgement. "It's just that Rufus was the only one willing to fight hard enough to hang onto you."

"So… I was… pretty open, huh?"

Not really knowing how to answer the question, she wound up shaking her head again, because in all honesty, he wasn't. In fact, it was never a secret that Reno was quite 'close-minded' before Rufus, and she never really knew how or why the two of them wound up together, even though she was happy for them in a weird sort of way. "No." She said with a slight confusion that Reno picked up on. "You weren't."

At least, not that she knew of.

Snorting slightly in the form of a sarcastic snicker, he dumped the contents of the container into a pot to heat it up, and jokingly commented that he was relieved he wasn't the only one that was confused about his current situation.

"I'm sorry…" She confessed, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I wish I had the answers for you."

"S'okay…" He said with a shrug, and then he smiled sheepishly at her. "I take it ya don't wanna tell me what kind of a jerk I was, huh?"

"Not really..." With a light smile, she moved closer to him to lean against his shoulder while he stirred the contents around, and then she tilted her head so she could see him better. "Because in the end… You wound up being the best friend I ever had."

"An that's all that matters…" He cheekily added, as if he were finishing the sentence to popular saying.

"It is." She commented, and then she stood on her toes to place a peck on his cheek. "If it wasn't for you, neither me nor Allysia would be here."

She never elaborated on that though.

- - -

"If you need any assistance…"

"I'll let you know."

With a mild concern, Tseng watched his distant friend step out of the chopper while he waited until everything was shut down before following. However, his concern was soon replaced with a slightly sadistic amusement as he caught Vincent suddenly tense up through the corner of his eye the moment a higher pitched voice cut through the air.

"Vin!"

And with an inability to hold back the chuckle, Tseng found himself calmly stepping out and walking up to Vincent to hold his arm down. "One of these days, you're going to kill her with an overdose of that Dream Powder."

With no desire to comment, Vincent simply remained silent as Tseng was probably the only one that noticed exactly how on edge Yuffi made the man, and that was simply by the fact that he was still holding the gunman's arm and could feel how incredibly tense the man really was.

"She's not that bad, you know."

"She's a kid."

"She hasn't been a kid for years, Vince."

However, Tseng couldn't help but suddenly wonder if that was what the problem was, and wound up letting go of the man's arm to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder. Then he decided he'd take over the damage control and take Yuffi's attention away from their plans by making up some kind of important mission Vincent would like her to go on in Wutai concerning Exit Materia.

Needless to say, she was more than excited to do anything for Vincent and eagerly agreed to it.

"Perfect." Tseng said when she agreed, and then he commenced to escort her back to his chopper while noting the relieved look on both Vincent's and Cid's faces as the pilot took it upon himself to refuel Tseng's machine for him. "I'll drop you off on the South Shores… You should have no problem making your way to the town on foot from there."

- - -

"Anyway… I'd like you to find out what you can about a person named Marcus who may bear a resemblance to myself."

Nodding as the two men stood, facing one another, it suddenly sunk in. "A resemblance, Sir?"

"Yes." With not much more than a nod, Rufus handed the man a piece of paper with the name and year of a certain type of sake. "I also want you to research all the names you can come up with in regards to the people who drink this type of sake." Then he paused for a thoughtful moment and met the man's eyes through the shades. "I also have one other request that you may find questionable."

"…"

"I want you to humour Reno, and allow him some freedom to get his hands dirty. I don't doubt for a moment that he'd be more than happy to do most of the work for you if you let him."

"I'm not fond of _using_ him, Sir."

"I understand." Rufus confessed. "However, this is in his best interest as well, and according to Erryn, amnesia doesn't change the core of who a person is, only what they remember. Therefore, I believe that if Reno is given the chance, he may very well tap into whatever he can, to get his own answers, much like he always did in the past."

"I'm afraid I feel it is my duty, Sir, to voice my concern that allowing him too much freedom and access may not bear the results you may be wishing for."

"I'm well-aware of the fact that his loyalties are in question, Rude." Rufus informed, knowing full-well what the big man was getting at. "However, I'm afraid this course of action is our best hope at not only getting to the core of my concerns, but maybe, also, finding out more about what type of threat we're dealing with."

After that, Rufus walked up to his door and placed his hand on the knob. "And I don't doubt for a second that if there is any questionable activity, you'll be the first to let me know." Then he opened the door and lowered his eyes while motioning his hand toward the hall. "You're dismissed."

- - -

When Rude finally arrived to relieve Elena, he handed a laptop to the redhead and simply said, "This used to be yours." Then he made his way over to the coffee pot and dumped it to make a fresh pot for himself while the redhead stared at the machine in confusion and shrugged.

"So… ya guys trust me enough ta let me have access ta this?" Reno asked suspiciously, as he followed Rude into the kitchen. "I mean, if it used ta be mine… Then I'm assumin it would probably have some Turk-related info in it… right?"

While nodding as a silent answer, the large Turk grabbed a cup from the cupboard and set it down on the counter while he waited. Then he explained to Reno that Rufus felt it would help him learn about himself, since there was a lot of information the redhead kept in there outside of Turk business. However, he felt it necessary to warn the man that he might not like everything he finds, knowing damn-well that Reno kept the information from the Nibelheim labs in there, among other private things that could stir up unpleasant memories.

But to set his own mind at ease, Rude talked to Erryn before giving it to him. Regardless of the fact that he was under Rufus' orders, he felt he needed a more clear-headed opinion and went to visit her before taking over his shift for the day.

She simply said that it was probably better for him to find the information than to remember it. "It might not have as big of an impact on him if he just reads about it… Actually, it might even help him to deal with it better if and when he _does_ remember."

_If and when…_

"Rufus feels he has nothing to hide from you." Rude finally said to the redhead after a short silence. It was a lie though, and he knew it. But it wasn't his place to argue with the President, and a part of him actually wondered if maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, particularly after the strange conversation he had with Rufus. "In fact, he feels there's a lot in there that will help you understand yourself better."

"Ah."

- - -

Cid couldn't help but watch the way Vincent merely stood in the shade of the trees as the pale man watched the Shinra helicopter leave for the island of Wutai. There was nothing in the man's expression that caught the pilot's attention; it was simply the fact that Vincent's eyes never left the machine until it was completely out of sight that made the man frown a little.

Then with a sigh, he walked up to the man and patted him on the shoulder. "C'mon inside." He said in his usual gruff manner, and started to escort the man with his hand on his shoulder. "I'll get Shera to fix you some tea… Then you can tell me what the fuck is so important that you need to keep it a secret."

Despite the fact that Cid was under the impression he'd pretty much heard and seen everything in his day, there was nothing that could have prepared him for what Vincent started to reluctantly tell him.

"That fucking Shinra!" Cid blurted out when Vincent told him where Cloud had been all those years. "I tell you… There's nothing fucking worse than having a Gaia-damned spoiled brat like Rufus in charge!" Then he decided to ignore Shera's complaints about him smoking inside and lit one anyway. "This is all over that Fucking Reno, isn't it?" He concluded.

No one really needed to answer that question. Cid was no idiot, and he'd been around long enough to be able to figure out what was going on.

But there was more; Cloud was released and then captured, Reno was alive and had no memory, and there was quite possibly a man wondering around that looked like Rufus and was also pretending to be him on occasion.

Apparently, Cid hadn't seen and heard everything like he thought he did, and he blurted out, "You're shittin me!" Then he smacked his hand on the table in disbelief and completely agreed to help Vincent try and find Cloud, among other things. After all, according to Cid, Cloud was an idiot but he didn't deserve that kind of treatment, and the last thing the world needed was two Rufus' running around.

"So, is it a clone?"

"No."

"Someone who just looks like him or had their appearance changed?"

"No."

"What then? A lost fucking relative?"

"…"

Realizing his questions were going nowhere, Cid motioned for Vincent to board the Highwind after refuelling it and decided he wasn't going to waste any more precious time. It would have beeb an understatement to say he wasn't a little pissed off that the gunman didn't come to him sooner. After all, Cid may have treated Cloud like shit on several occasions, but he treated everyone that way. It never meant he didn't care.

"A fucking _month_, Vincent!" He grumbled as his emotions were renewed and he stepped behind the steer. In the meantime, the gunman simply kept his head down as he was being chewed out. "He could be fucking dead by now, you stupid shit!" Then he placed his cigar between his teeth while angrily starting up the engines. "I guess I shouldn't expect anything more from a fucking ex-Turk. You're all the fucking same… A bunch of fuck-ups!"

Vincent didn't argue with him though, instead he simply stood there and turned his attention to the direction of Wutai while placing his hand on the rail. He'd heard it all before, and he simply ignored Cid's suddenly scrutinising glare at the knowledge of where he was staring, as he silently agreed with the man.

- - -

"Thank you, Rude." Rufus said, as the Turk put his jacket on before leaving when the President returned at the end of the day. Then Rufus removed his coats and hung them up neatly before adjusting his vest and shirt. After that, he pulled two fresh roses out of their careful packaging to replace the old ones in his private rooms.

It was a strange thing that he did, and he knew that. But knowing that fact didn't stop him from doing it though. Even the beatings from his father never stopped him from doing it, despite the ongoing battle they had over it. It was just one of the many strange and neurotic things he had to do. In fact, the only thing that ever stopped him from doing it in the past, was when he wound up at Healin. But he started doing it again after the explosion at the underground reactor, and once again, he never really knew why.

"Ya should get the thorns removed." Reno said, as he appeared and leaned against the frame of the door with his arms crossed and his head tilted. "Be easier ta handle."

"And strip them of their natural defenses?"

As he watched the President lift the second rose to below his nose and then proceed to the bathroom to replace the other one, Reno raised his brow and wound up moving to the frame of the bathroom door to watch the man put it in it's rightful place. "If yer concerned about their defences, why pick them in the first place?"

"Because I can't help myself." Rufus admitted, as he frowned slightly while tossing the old one into the garbage.

"So, they have some kinda symbolic meanin ta ya."

"Perhaps." Cocking his brow, Rufus brushed his bang out of his eye, and airily thought out loud. "Beautiful to look at and dangerous to hold." Then he turned his attention over to Reno and grinned a little awkwardly before embellishing that "It used to drive my father nuts."

"Yer father?" Tilting his head the other way, Reno simply watched the expression turn slightly sad on the strange President, before it went almost cold. "He did'n like ya havin flowers?"

"Boris _Shinra_, didn't like anything about his son." Rufus said with a slightly bitter edge that seemed to come from nowhere. And Reno couldn't help but notice the fact that Rufus suddenly referred to himself in third person.

"Ah." The redhead said a little meekly, and then he decided that maybe he should start dinner. Given Rufus' sudden change in personality, he couldn't help but come to the conclusion that the man's father might have been a sensitive topic. And at that, Reno turned and made his way to the kitchen.

It may have been a little insensitive of him. But unfortunately, some things never change in a person.

It was all right though. Rufus wasn't sure if he could handle too much of a change anyway, and seemed oddly content as he just stood there and stared at the floor. Unfortunately the sudden realization that he might just have to explain his life-story all over again, hit him a little undesirably.

- - -

"What are you making?" Rufus asked, when he finally snapped back to the here and now, and decided he'd follow Reno to the kitchen.

"Nothin fancy… Jus somethin I threw together."

"It smells good."

"That's cuz I'm makin it."

With a slight grin at Reno's cocky smile and comment, Rufus sighed and stepped forward. Then he tested the waters a bit and leaned against the man in hopes that the other day wasn't just a passing phase. "How silly of me." He said, a little smoothly, and dared to get closer when Reno did nothing to push him away.

"S'okay… I'll let it go." And with a playful smile, Reno turned his head quickly and placed a small kiss on the blonde's cheek. "This time."

"How much things have changed." Rufus unintentionally muttered, before he lightly brushed his lips against the redhead's neck while carefully watching the man's reaction. "You used to be so afraid of me." Then he pulled back a little and brushed Reno's hair back so he could see his face better. "Now, it's me who's afraid of you."

"Ya don't seem that scared." With a chuckle, Reno turned his head again and ran his eyes over the blonde in a sheepish manner before returning his attention back to the stove.

"Mm." With a shake to his head, Rufus moved behind Reno and placed his arms around the man's waist, and tested the waters again by running his hands aimlessly over the front of the man's torso. "That's not true." He muttered, and brushed his lips against the accepting redhead's jaw. "You're terrifying in the fact that you are so much like yourself, and yet so unpredictably different."

"Ah." Suddenly understanding what Rufus was saying, he snickered a little as he continued to behave like there were no hands relentlessly fondling him whatsoever. "That… memory thing… again… right?"

"Mm." Rufus mumbled as he inhaled that spicy scent he loved so much. Then he provocatively whispered into the man's ear. "You drive me wild."

"Ah… Ya know I'm… makin dinner… right?"

"How could I not know?" Rufus asked, as his hands moved downward. "It smells delicious."

"Oh."

The next thing Reno knew, his pants were down around his ankles while he simply pointed, speechlessly, at the wok and Rufus was on his knees in front of him. "Don't worry, you can still cook." Rufus muttered as an affirmation to just go ahead and don't mind him. He had no intention of getting in the way.

But Reno wound up burning the dinner. He also yelled out "Fucking Gaia!" Or something like that when he realized just how serious Rufus really was about actually going through with his intentions.

- - -

Well, despite all the things Reno learned that day, he honestly couldn't say that any of them were as interesting as what he learned about Rufus' behaviour when he was ignored. And as far as dinner went, they decided to just throw together a salad and figured to hell with it.

"Well, I'm off to bed." Rufus informed, after he finished reading a chapter to one of his books. Then he got up and started undoing the cuffs to his shirt. "Will you be joining me?"

"Yeah…" Reno muttered before taking a sip of his scotch. "In a bit."

After that, he held up his glass to show that he wanted to finish it first as Rufus nodded and continued to undo his shirt while he walked to his room. "Take your time." He said, somewhat curious about whether that was the only reason Reno wanted to stay up.

Rufus was right to be suspicious though, because the moment he was in his room, Reno was watching the door as he quietly made his way over to his laptop, and attempted to hack into the security of Shinra. But what he didn't know, was that Rufus was tracking him from his room on his own laptop, and curiously found the redhead wasn't as oblivious to Shinra as he was appearing.

After all, Reno found his way into the system disturbingly fast, and wound up going into the records of the day before to focus on the Wutain diplomat entering the front lobby of the building, as his blood ran cold.

- - -

With a smile on his face, Ten-ji sat back from his own personal surveillance as he watched the redhead stare at the screen and then quickly shut his laptop off as if the thing was going to catch fire if he kept it on. Then the Wutain looked over to the glass door Marcus was behind and frowned while Darius snickered quietly to himself.

"How many times is he going to watch that?" The Wutain asked his friend, as a mild disturbance set in. To his knowledge, it was the third time that day he'd caught Marcus watching Rufus and Reno's more private moments.

"I have no idea."

Then with a shake to his head, Ten-ji tapped his ring on his glass and took a sip of his sake. "I think he's losing it."

"He lost it when Aldrich died." Darius observed. "He hasn't been the same ever since."

"Hm… For someone who isn't gay, he sure does obsess over the people that are. It's almost like he's turning into that fucking maniac."

"Mm." Not disagreeing with the man in the least, Darius raised his brows and poured himself a glass of brandy, which was his more preferred drink. "Have you seen the way he handles Cloud?"

"I'd rather not think about that." With a sigh, Ten-ji took another sip, and then he turned to his friend with a shake to his head. "I think we're going to have to come up with something fast." He mused, as he took another cautious glance over to Marcus. "He's going to go crazy if he doesn't get what he wants soon."

"Making him harder to control."

Nodding in agreement to his friend's observation, the Wutain took another sip and then turned his attention back over to Marcus who was sitting in front of the monitor as if he was hypnotised by it. "Only problem is, that _Tseng_ has to go first."

"What about Reno?"

" Reno's not a problem… Even in the past, he was compliant as long as we had something to hold over him."

"True, but we had nothing to hold over him. Aldrich refused to play along, remember?"

"I remember everything Aldrich did and didn't do." Ten-ji muttered distantly. Then he sighed before turning his attention back to his friend with a bit of a wry smile. "But this time, Reno has more attachments for us to persuade him with."


	15. It Almost Seemed Ordinary

**Chapter 15: It Almost Seemed Ordinary**

* * *

Reno never said anything that night about what he saw, and even though Rufus knew what the redhead was looking at, he never asked about it. To say he wasn't curious about it though, would have been an understatement. However, he didn't want Reno to know he was keeping a close eye on him and felt the more freedom he allowed the man to believe he had, the more Rufus would be able to find out in the long run. 

Mind you, he was well-aware of the fact that Reno had gone out of his way to focus on the Wutain diplomat, and told himself that he would exercise caution when dealing with Tjen Syn from that point on. But it wasn't just the focus Reno had on the surveillance that warned Rufus something wasn't quite right about the diplomat, it was the way the redhead quietly crawled into the bed and placed an almost reluctant and _brotherly_ feeling kiss on Rufus' temple, before he turned with his back to the blonde and curled up so close to the edge of the bed that he risked falling off, leaving Rufus with a cold and empty feeling.

- - -

When the morning arrived, Reno let out a large yawn before stretching out and cocking open one eye, like he always did, as if the other half of him decided it wasn't going to agree with the rest of his body and wake up yet. Then he remembered it was Wednesday, and that he finally had permissive access to Rufus' room with no one else around.

Well, the temptation to take advantage of Rufus' strange little habit of sneaking out on Wednesday mornings to find out what was in that mysterious box under his bed was just too irresistible for the curious redhead, and he hopped to his feet as if he had a mission.

Only, to his disappointment, Rufus was leaning against the tall dresser near the mirrored closet and simply stood there, watching him, which was something Reno didn't notice at first.

But the moment he did, he wound up scratching at the back of his neck and taking a bit of a double-take. Then with a bit of confusion, the redhead looked at his watch, then at the clock, and then back at the blonde with a bit of a suspicious curiosity. "Y-yer home." He stammered a little nervously, as the unexpected surprise set in.

As a response, the blonde simply cocked his brow and looked at him like the observation was somewhat questionable. After which, he jerked his hand as if he was going to adjust the scarf around his neck and changed his mind with a quick and subtle shake to his head. "Disappointed?"

"Nah." Reno answered with a slightly sheepish smile. "It's jus…"

"You weren't expecting me to be here…" The man finished for him, and then he smirked with a strange look in his eyes as he looked over Reno's form. After that, he pushed himself casually to a standing position and clasped his hands behind his back before striding over to the redhead with a bit of a shadowy look in his eyes. "Were you." He accused with a purr, as he leaned toward the redhead's ear and eyed him up with a disturbing look in his eyes.

Suddenly feeling naked, even though he was in his boxers, Reno wound up nervously muttering out "N-no," While looking at the man sideways and wondering why he abruptly felt the way that he did… like prey, or something similar.

"Why's that?" The blonde asked in the same dark, yet unreadable, tone.

"B-Because yer… retentive."

"Retentive." With a bit of an intrigued look while he repeated the word as if he was considering the meaning of it, the blonde lifted his hand to twirl his finger into the red strands near Reno's temple.

"Yeah…" He muttered quietly, and then he continued to say that "Ya can't handle deviatin from yer routine," before he wound up blurting out "OW! Ya Fuckin Bastard!" and smacking Rufus' hand away angrily for pulling his hair, hard. "What the fuck is'a matter with you!?" He shouted at him and brought his hand up to rub at his temple. "That fuckin hurt, ya stupid shit!"

All Rufus did as a reply, though, was snicker to himself as he clasped his hands behind his back again while watching the redhead heat up. "I thought you had a loose hair." He stated casually.

"A fuckin loose hair?" The redhead asked in bewilderment. "Ya had a fuckin handful, ya demented freak!"

Then, with an abruptly stoic and offended appearance, Rufus simply stood there and blinked twice at the redhead before matter-of-factly stating with a slightly dark edge to his voice that "I have better things to do with my time than put up with this type of insolence." After that, he turned on his heel while lighting a cigarette and pompously strode out of the room, leaving Reno to watch after him with a completely baffled look on his face.

"What?" He breathed out, with a disbelieving laugh after the door closed behind the arrogant insight into something insane, and then he raised his brow and thought. _What the fuck was that all about?_

But just as quickly as that thought passed, he suddenly realized he didn't really want to know.

So, he kept the door closed and decided to shower and get dressed instead. All the while, he took his time as if he were reluctant to meet up with Rufus again before the man left for work.

- - -

He was exhausted.

But he wasn't willing to give up after he cursed at himself for dropping the small piece of metal he managed to get from Marcus without him knowing. The blonde maniac got cocky the night before and decided he'd have a bit of brutal fun. Maybe it was to let off some steam over something, or maybe it was just because he was an unstable lunatic. Either way, Cloud didn't really care. All that did matter to the ex-Soldier as he fumbled around in the thick dust on the floor was that the idiot never pulled the chains back, allowing Cloud the rare opportunity to fight back for a change.

And he did.

It also gave him the opportunity to do something else as well. He managed to tear a thin strip of metal from Marcus' empty holster. It wasn't much, and it was far from sturdy. But it never stopped the shaky and unfocused blonde from struggling with it all night to try and pick the locks on the cuffs with it.

But he had no success.

"Looking for something?" Came the arrogant voice from behind the bars as if he suddenly appeared from nowhere, and then he hit the lever for the chains, sending Cloud backwards toward the wall with a grunt.

"Yeah…" He breathed out in exhaustion, and then he cockily added with a bit of a groan as he adjusted his aching leg to a less awkward position. "Something to kill you with." Then he turned with a bitter-sweet smirk, before sneering in disgust at the man's outfit. "Identity crisis?"

"I thought it might be a nice change to help you feel you're in the company of someone familiar." Marcus casually answered, as he pulled on the sleeve of his white overcoat and ran his finger underneath the scarf around his neck to relieve the discomfort before opening the cell to step in. After that, he came to stand in front of the clone and kicked at his sore leg with a sadistic smirk before asking. "Is it convincing?"

"No." Cloud answered sharply, as his tired and sore legs were pulled straight so Marcus could sit on them to keep him from kicking. "Rufus has more class."

"Oh, he does… Does he?" With his brow cocked, Marcus pulled out the syringe for Cloud's daily dosage of co-operation and proceeded to give it to him. But before he injected the pathetic excuse for a man, he leaned over and cruelly whispered something into his ear. "Perhaps I should test my talents out on the redhead."

Then he leaned back with his tongue between his teeth while sporting a demented smile and an impishly demonic glint in his eyes as the ex-Soldier met a forceful resistance when he attempted to jump forward and throttle the man to death.

"Poor Animal." The blonde sadist crooned with a sickly and over-dramatized compassion, before he leaned forward and petted the filthy and unkempt hair on the man's head as if he were a pet. "All this energy, and no way of expelling it." Then he snorted lightly and stabbed the needle into the chained man's shoulder while purring "I bet I know what would make you feel better," As the captive blonde hissed from the jolt to his system.

"You're gonna kill yourself?" Cloud grunted, while he forced a smile through his clenched teeth and attempted to kick the asshole off his legs.

"I wouldn't want to deprive you of my company." Marcus flatly stated, before he smacked the stubborn waste of skin in the face as a warning to stop struggling with him. "However, _despite_ your inability to behave, I feel I should give you the gift I went through the trouble of attaining this morning, nonetheless." Then he cockily raised his brow and smirked as he reached into his pocket to pull out some loose, red, strands of hair and placed them neatly on the clones shoulder.

And with a sickly-sweet smile, he leaned tauntingly closer to Hojo's failed experiment and threateningly growled with a velvet scratch as if it were a promise. "And maybe _next_ time, I'll bring you a bigger piece."

Marcus moved quickly after that, knowing from experience that the blonde wreck would find enough energy to inflict some kind of damage, despite the effort he put into holding his legs still. After which, he let out a dark chuckle while suavely making his way to the exit of the cell as the sound of the chains relentlessly met the limit of their length behind him.

- - -

Reno was relieved when he opened the bedroom door to find Tseng sitting on the sofa, sipping at a cup of coffee, and no sign of Rufus. Maybe he was over-reacting a little, but after what he saw on the surveillance the night before, and then the weird way that Rufus behaved that morning, he was honestly a little reluctant to want to be with the man at that point in time.

Maybe it was for the better. After all, Ten-ji warned him through Marcus about what they could do to the people he got close to, and it was proven that Marcus could get in with ease. But even more disturbingly, Ten-ji had been coming in all along under an alias, for Gaia knew how many years, and had befriended Rufus on behalf of fixing relations with Wutai.

_Tjen Syn…_ Reno thought snidely to himself. _Should'a fuckin guessed with a name like that…_

After that thought, he pulled his lighter from his pant's pocket and lit the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Mornin." He muttered to Tseng, whose mind seemed to have wandered off to some other place, since he seemed content to simply sit there and do nothing for entertainment. He replied though, which proved that he hadn't wandered off too far, and with a nod, Reno adjusted his open shirt and walked into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee for himself.

During that time, Tseng came up to him and casually motioned for the man to join him on the balcony. It was after all, a fairly nice day out, despite the light rain they'd be protected from underneath the concrete cover. Of course, the real reason had to do with the simple fact that Tseng felt things were more private on the balcony, regardless of the fact that he knew Rufus wasn't the type to invade the personal privacy of people's homes, including his own.

At least not yet.

Of course, there was nothing of major concern going on. Tseng simply felt that Reno would like to know, much to the redhead's relief, that another reliable source had been added in the search for Cloud. He informed Reno that Cid Highwind was not only the most adept pilot in the world, but also a very skilled fighter and very highly networked, making him a very suitable and reliable resource. It was with hope that maybe Cid could swindle his way into the wrong conversation at the right time, and hopefully gain some kind of information that might bring them closer to their goal. The man was, after all, just as good if not better at fitting into the wrong crowds as Reno was.

Naturally, the question in regards to 'why' they didn't include Cid in the first place was brought to light from the commonly inquisitive ruffian. After all, if He was that reliable, why did they take so long to include him in their search?

Well, there was an answer to that, and this one was much easier to be honest about than anything Reno ever asked in regards to Rufus.

For one, they hoped they wouldn't have to get too many people involved, mostly because Cloud was a rather sensitive and risky topic which wasn't elaborated on. Secondly, no one had been able to contact Cid for the last four-and-a-half weeks. Tseng couldn't help but assume it was because the old pilot was probably doing underground bootlegging runs again. But he didn't say anything to the redhead about that. In fact, he never said anything about it to anyone. As far as he was concerned, it had nothing to do with Shinra, and Tseng quite enjoyed some of the fine, yet controversy, spirits the man often brought back with him as a gift to the commander of the Turks as a simple thank you for not getting in his way.

But let's not call that bribery or an acceptance of a questionable hand-out though, because Tseng simply didn't like those terms.

- - -

"So, this should pickup any unusual frequencies?" Rude asked with a sceptical look on his face as he held up the small radio Reeve had been working on for him.

"Yes." The man answered with a smile, and then he leaned forward to turn one of the dials on the miniature device that looked rather ridiculous in the Turks large hand. "You might have to fiddle with the receptors a bit on it with this dial. But if they're not using the same technology as we did for our own miniature cameras, I'm afraid this might not work."

"…"

- - -

After an hour or so of deciding that the balcony wasn't such a bad place to spend some time, Reno went back into the kitchen to grab himself a beer and Tseng another cup of black coffee. When he returned, he handed the Wutain his cup and then sat down beside him before commencing with his grumbling that had been growing more with each day in regards to him not being allowed to leave the building.

"I'm afraid that's not possible." Tseng said, like he'd said so many times already, and then he closed his eyes and rested his head back.

"Jus to a pub or somethin… that's all I'm askin for."

"No."

"C'mon, Man… It ain't like ya guys don't have enough fuckin guards ta spare."

Sighing, simply to hold back a slight chuckle, Tseng stretched out his legs and shook his head. "I'm afraid that's not going to happen."

"Well, what if ya accompany me… We can go right now."

"I don't drink in pubs."

"Bullshit!"

"I'm sorry. But I don't." Then he took a sip from his coffee and opened his eyes to watch the light rains fall from the skies before hoping his explanation would satisfy the younger man. "They water down the drinks and overcharge you for them."

"No they don't." Reno disagreed with a shake to his head, while pretty much staring at the same thing as Tseng. "Not all of 'em… Ya gotta gimme a better reason than that… An don't turn this inta one'a those, 'You're safer here' type deals either." Reno fired back with a dead-on mimicry of Tseng's voice when he quoted him. "'Cuz that shit jus don't fly with me."

"Fine." Tseng said with another sigh. He'd actually started to wonder how he ever managed without the redhead's irritations for so long. In all honesty, he never thought he'd miss them, or even look forward to them for that matter. And there he suddenly was, actually enjoying Reno's whining and arguing. "You're an escape artist, Reno. I'd be an idiot if I actually trusted you enough to take you outside… with or without guards."

"Oh."

Suddenly shaking his leg while trying to figure out another way out of the building, he wound up slumping back into the bench he and the Wutain were sharing and gulping back on his beer.

And yes, he was well-aware of the Exit Materia Marcus had given to him. But he had no idea how to use it.

"I guess me promisin I won't try nothin ain't gonna help my case much, huh?"

"I thought Rude brought you you're laptop." Tseng suddenly mused in an attempt to change the subject. Then he took another sip of his coffee while the redhead lit a cigarette and nodded. "If you're that bored, why don't you learn about yourself… I'm sure there's plenty of entertainment in that feat alone."

"Heh…" The redhead snorted in a sarcastic attempt at a partial laugh. Then he cursed at himself when his cigarette jumped out of his hand and landed in his shirt pocket.

After that, he did a bit of an unsightly dance that amused Tseng a little. In fact, the Wutain mused that it could have passed for something lacking rhythm, making it appear almost modern, as a few more nasty words that weren't worth mentioning spewed from the redhead's mouth. Once that was all done and out of the way though, Reno finally managed to save his cigarette without having to relight it. However, the shirt suffered an unsightly brown stain that Reno assumed was not going to be salvageable. It was no big deal though. It wasn't like he really cared about the shirt.

But besides that, he wound up confessing after taking another large gulp from his beer and sticking his cigarette between his teeth that he didn't want to know anything about himself. In fact, from the way that Rufus acted around him most of the time, what Elena sort of didn't tell him, and the way the other people in the building acted around him, he'd come to the conclusion that he might not have been that nice of a person.

"Well…" Tseng muttered, after taking another sip and watching the redhead run his hand through his loose bangs. "You weren't."

He honestly didn't know why that was such an issue to the redhead though. After all, from what he'd observed, Reno was still somewhat of a 'wild card'. Despite the fact that he seemed a little more considerate and open, he was still a bit of an asshole.

"You can't run from yourself forever."

"Yeah…" Reno mumbled in agreement, and then he nodded and placed his hand on the concrete rail while allowing the fine mist of the cool rain to caress him a little. "I jus don't think I'm ready…"

Sighing again at the redhead, Tseng leaned forward to place his empty cup on the small stone table in front of him, and then he leaned back into the bench while trying to think of what kind of response to give to the man. However, he came up with nothing and quirked his brow after realizing that Reno never did want to know anything about himself, making his lack of desire almost ironic to the slender Wutain as he smoothed his hair back and stared at his cup.

- - -

_It was dark out, almost pitch black. But the young man had been accustomed to navigating his way around in the dark. It was a way of life for him, and it held no concern as he carefully crept through the tent of twenty or more men to rob them blind. Over the years, he'd found the woods to be a reliable source of gullible and un-suspecting passers by, making it his preferred hunting grounds, so to speak._

_He was a young man though, maybe sixteen at best, leaving him with, still, so much more to learn. Of course, being the crafty type that he was, he honestly felt he'd mastered everything there was to master within his chosen trade._

_He was wrong though._

_Because the moment he was nearly to the edge of the woods, with a growing sense of assuredness, he was grabbed from behind with a hand cupped under his chin. "I'm not sure whether to be impressed or disgusted." Came the Wutain-accented voice of a male not much older or younger than himself, as the threatening cold metal pressed to his neck as a warning not to move._

_"Those were your friends?" Asked the thief, with a slight sense of cockiness riddled with the fear of the unknown._

_"Friends… No." Answered the Wutain. "Comrades… Yes."_

_And upon the clarification of where the Wutain felt he stood in relation to his encampment, he quirked his brow and turned the other male's face slightly toward his own to get a better look._

_"I've seen you before." He stated, before he curled his finger a little more roughly into the other man's chin and mused. "I would have thought that someone who was part Wutain would have known better than to invade a camp full of his own people." Then he tapped the blade on the man's throat when the thief protested with a hiss that they weren't his people, and smiled at him. "So, that's the reason for your brashness… I take it you feel we owe you for something."_

_The thieving male didn't need to answer the other. The look in his eyes alone told he was angry and bitter toward the Wutains, leaving the other man to simply smirk at the thief as the fires relentlessly lit his eyes._

_"You hate us so much that you're willing to risk your life and rob us blind in the middle of the night."_

_"That's not the reason." The thief choked, as he was pushed forward and landed on the broken branches and scattered leaves._

_"Oh?" Asked the Wutain as he put his knife away and pulled out a slender sword instead. Despite all his training with firearms, he preferred to do things quietly and with a sharp edge. "For your sake I hope you have a good one then."_

_"My sister's ill."_

_"I've heard that one before."_

_However, the thief wasn't lying. He was telling the truth, and he wound up spewing everything he could think of to try and convince the Wutain that it was the only reason he stole from them, and others as well. And as if he felt he needed to put his foot in his mouth, he had to curiously add that it wasn't just Wutains that he stole from…_

_It was pretty much everybody._

_"And you're proud of this?"_

_"I told you… My sister's ill." The thief bitterly argued. "It's not for pride."_

_"Hm." The Wutain mumbled with a snort, and then he knelt down with the tip of his sword at the other man's throat, and held out his hand. "Take me to her then." He ordered with a lack of expression. "I'd like to see it for myself."_

_"I'm not crazy." The thief protested, as he lifted his chin in a daring attempt to tell the Wutain to go ahead and kill him if that's what he was going to do. "If I take you there, you could decide that you'll do her a favour by killing her and putting her out of her misery." Then he narrowed his eyes at the other male and added with a sneer. "And you'd probably leave me alive in hopes that the experience would teach me a lesson."_

_"I see." The Wutain muttered, with indifference. Then he pulled his sword away and held out his hand again. "I take it your father was the Wutain… He ran out on you… right?" _

_With a bitter glare, the thief batted the Wutain's hand away and pushed himself up to a sitting position while continuing to stare challengingly at the man. "What do you care." He accused more than asked, before he brushed the dirt and stale decompositions from his knees._

_"I don't." The Wutain admitted, as he ignored the angry man's stance and sheathed his sword. He felt he had no need to worry about the thief attempting to attack him. He was trained to fight and highly doubted the other male knew anything more than 'backstreet' tactics. "However," He started, and looked the ragged boy up and down. "If its money you need, I can think of a better way for you to earn it than by never making it out of these woods alive."_

_"I'd rather be dead than work as a whore for the Wutain Underground."_

_"Whores aren't our only interest." The Wutain stated casually and unaffected by the comment, then he looked the man over again and smirked. "And your being dead would hardly help your cause in tending to your sister."_

_Then the Wutain held out his hand again as the thief looked sceptically at him, and with a bow, he explained that they rarely, if ever, put their own kind on the streets._

_"Of course, you're not full-blooded…" He mused and tilted his head. "But I'm sure I could pull a few strings for you." Then he motioned his hand to grab the thief's attention in order to urge him to take it again._

_"Why should I trust you?"_

_"You shouldn't."_

_With a disbelieving snort at the boy's boldness, the thief finally decided to take the Wutain's hand and allowed the male to pull him to his feet. "What exactly did you have in mind for me, then?"_

_"You're crafty." The Wutain observed. "You managed to rob all of my uncle's men without any of them ever noticing, or even waking up." Then he smirked and quirked his brow as he looked over the boy again. "You would have gotten away if I hadn't been watching you for sometime and anticipated your actions." Without letting go, the Wutain pulled the thief closer to get a better look at the male's expression as he ran his eyes over his face. "My name is Tseng. Tseng Seitou."_

_"Vincent." The thief replied reluctantly, as the slender Wutain shook his hand with a continuing smirk. "Vincent Valentine."_

-

He sat in the shadows on the floor of the Highwind's galley after it landed and simply waited as Cid took his time. Actually wherever Cid went, he took hours, leaving Vincent to wallow in the privacy of his own memories as to how it all started. They weren't exactly the worst of memories though, as far as Vincent was concerned. In fact, they were probably some of his better ones.

He remembered being nervous and scared for his life when he first met Tseng. He was nothing more than a simple thief who never knew how to use weapons, or even how to fight. Actually, he'd never even held a gun before. He'd lived his life committing petty thievery within the small street-markets of whatever towns he'd travelled to in search for medicine or medical attention for his younger sister. During that time, he wound up polishing his abilities at larceny and got brave enough to move onto bigger schemes and bigger crowds in hopes of rewarding bigger treasures.

And as the years transgressed, the excuse that he did it only to help his sister became more questionable. As a matter of fact, it could almost be argued that Vincent actually enjoyed his trade and did it for more than just his sisters well-being.

That all changed though, and as time went on, he discovered he had talents for more than just thievery. And due to inevitable tragedy, he no longer needed to live his life for the health of his sister, and he gained his freedom at a painful price.

Only he never really gained freedom, because he'd signed his life over to the Wutains before nature claimed its unprejudiced act.

He didn't mind at first though, because for the first time in his life, he had a purpose, a friend, and a home, even though it was a less than perfect home.

-

_"You're doing it wrong." Tseng informed, as he walked up behind Vincent. "If you keep your eye closed like that, you'll never hit anything when it matters."_

_"But I'm getting the target."_

_"That's because it's inanimate and not firing back at you." Smirking at his own cockiness, Tseng stepped up behind the younger male and positioned himself so he could aid the boy. "If you're running, winking at the enemy and shooting everything but them, isn't going to help your cause much." He calmly said, as he placed his hand over the other male's to reposition him while keeping his chin on the boy's shoulder to keep his vision clear. "It might help if you think of it as an extension of yourself instead of an object… now keep both eyes open and try again."_

_With a slight frustration, the half-breed was further from the target than he was to begin with and turned to regard Tseng with a bit of scepticism. "You're doing that on purpose." He accused, and elbowed the Wutain playfully in the gut when he was laughed at._

_"No… actually." Tseng replied, and placed his hands back over Vincent's to get him to try again. "Perhaps if you focus less on the end of the gun and more on your target, you'll have better success."_

_After that, he removed his hands and placed one on Vincent's shoulder while wrapping the other around the man's waist to get him to straighten up a bit._

_"After all, when you point at something with your finger, you don't focus on your finger, do you?"_

_"No." Vincent admitted with a slightly gruff voice that needed clearing, and then he nodded after a deep breath and fired with the new advice._

_"See?" Tseng said with a returning cockiness to his voice. "Much closer."_

_"I'm still off."_

_"That's why you're in training." Tseng reminded the half-breed, and then he turned his head as Vincent did the same to see the Wutain wryly grinning at him._

_"Tseng!" Came the disapproving shout from Ten-ji as he stepped through the entrance and shouted again in Wutain. "Get your ass over here!"_

_After a stressful breath, Tseng rolled his eyes, and patted Vincent on the shoulder, "I'll be right back…" Then he pointed at the target as he started to move quickly away. "Keep practising what I showed you!"_

_Then, once the young boy was no more than a foot away from the older Wutain, he bowed his head respectfully and acknowledged him in their native language. "Uncle."_

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_"Training."_

_"With your arms around him?"_

_With a suddenly disbelieving laugh, Tseng blinked his eyes repetitively at the man in front of him and wound up grimacing when Ten-ji grabbed him roughly by the hair, pulling him forward and off balance. Instinctively, Tseng's hands met his uncle's wrists quickly to ease the strain and tried to defend himself in their customary language. "I was trying to help him with his posture!"_

_"You had you're fucking arm around his waist, Tseng!" His Uncle yelled back, and smacked him across the face. "How fucking close do you need to hold someone to teach them how to stand!"_

_"What in Leviathan's name is the matter with you?" Tseng defended, as he was pulled closer to his uncle. _

_"I'll tell you what the hell is the matter with me, Tseng." Ten-ji said with a threatening growl. "Everytime I turn my back on you, you're standing next to that 'half'-breed like you think he's a girl! You're father is a diplomat for Gaia's sake. How do you think he would react if I let him see you like that?"_

_"What?" Still disbelieving of what he was defending himself against, the younger Wutain tried to pull himself away and was smacked again for supposedly mouthing off._

_"I should have gone with my first instinct and put your new 'friend' on the streets where he obviously belongs instead of listening to you." The older Wutain muttered as he pushed Tseng roughly into the hallway and out of Vincent's sight. "Something tells me he would have been a good investment." Then he looked Vincent over with a slightly disturbing approval before it changed to disgust and he slammed the door, leaving Vincent just as confused as Tseng probably was. _

_Of course, it probably didn't help matters that Vincent understood most of what they said to each other. After all, before his father left him and his sister to fend for themselves, he refused to let them speak in any other language but Wutain._

-

With a slight breath, Vincent pulled out his gun and checked the chambers before aiming it at the door as if there was something to aim at. He honestly never would have been the marksman he'd become if it weren't for Tseng's patient training, despite the constant accusations from his uncaring uncle. But he supposed that was the price Tseng had to pay for bringing in a _half-_breed and befriending him.

Actually, there were several times when Vincent thought things would have been better for his friend if he left, and he often found himself leaving in the middle of the night to spare Tseng any further indignity. Only he never got very far, because Tseng always seemed to know what was on his mind.

But that all changed, and that strange bond they shared never stopped Vincent from finally leaving when he got the opportunity and was fed up with Tseng's constant refusal to see anything wrong with the way he was treated. That's when he wound up on the doorsteps of Shinra, despite his friend's protests and accusations of betrayal. Only things never quite worked out the way he intended, even though it all seemed like the right thing to do in the beginning.

-

_"Come with me…"_

_"You're asking me to turn against my people… I can't do that."_

_"Tseng, no one cares… Come with me… Please."_

_"You don't understand, Vince… I can't."_

-

He did understand though. He just never wanted to admit that Tseng never had the privilege of having a choice.

"Wholly mother of Sephiroth, Vincent!" Cid sputtered out when he walked into the galley to find a gun pointing at him, making Vincent wonder how and why that saying became so popular. "I wasn't gone long enough for you to hole yourself up and defend the fort, was I?"

"Sorry." Vincent apologized, and then he expertly twirled his gun before sheathing it and lowering his face behind his mantle.

"Yeah… I stopped by some kinda health food store and gotcha a buncha that crap you like." He muttered with his cigar between his teeth, and then he walked to the counters and set the bags down.

Nodding quietly, Vincent stood carefully and walked over to where Cid was standing to help the man put the food away. "Did you have any luck?"

"Speculations mostly." Cid answered while blowing some smoke out of his mouth. "Ain't no one seems to know anything… Either that or they're all too afraid to say anything to just anyone."

"They're afraid." Vincent said quietly, as he focused on the bags instead of the man.

"Yeah… Well, that don't help us much, does it?" Cid said with a snort. Then he pulled his cigar out of his mouth and waved it carelessly at Vincent. "But I did overhear someone say something about an island."

"An island."

"Yeah… I know… It ain't much of a lead." Shaking his head as he looked at his scuffed shoes and let Vincent do all the work in regards to putting the groceries away, Cid placed his cigar back in his mouth and muttered out. "Might'a helped if they specified whether it was a big or small island…" Then with a snort, he chuckled sarcastically. "'Least then, we could narrow it down some."

"Ten-ji used to have facilities scattered across the lesser islands." Vincent mused, as he started putting the food and alcohol away. Unfortunately though, Ten-ji had them on almost every lesser island.

"Hm." Cid snorted, and stuck his cigar back between his teeth as he looked the other man over sceptically. "That don't help much." Then he decided he'd help the ex-Turk finish putting the groceries away while wondering. "Which small island should we start with then?"

- - -

After hearing a firm knock at the front door, Tseng opened it to find Rude standing there with a strange looking device in his hand while holding it up and staring at the readings.

"Heh… watcha got?" The redhead asked from behind, as he looked over the Wutain's shoulder and chuckled. "Looks like a miniature transmitter of some kind." Then he shrugged his shoulders as the two men looked over at him while he decided he'd finally open his laptop and see what he could handle finding out about himself.

"It is." Rude replied, as Tseng smirked in amusement at Reno's talent for pointing out the obvious, and then he stepped out of the way to let the larger Turk in.

"So, what is it for?"

"It's supposed to pick up stray frequencies that any _micro _cameras might be giving off." After that, Rude adjusted his shades and motioned his hand to the middle of the room. "Do you mind if I give it a try?"

"Go right ahead." Tseng answered, as he closed the door and decided to get another cup of coffee, despite the friendly warning from Rude that he should probably dump it and make his own.

"I'm confident Reno has learned his lesson." Tseng mused, and then he placed his hand on Reno's shoulder as he walked by and patted him on it. "And if he hasn't, you'll be here to catch me when I fall."

"I've learned my lesson." Reno muttered, almost bitterly at the private reminder of Marcus taking advantage of something he thought was foolproof. Then the redhead sat quietly as Rude wandered around the apartment and Tseng poured himself some coffee.

_What the hell is this?_ Reno thought to himself as he found a file called Exit Materia on his desktop. And with a strange feeling, he hovered his pointer over it and wondered if it was something he was studying or working on before he lost his memory. Then he found himself curiously looking at the armlet around his wrist, and then at Rude and Tseng as they both appeared to be oblivious to what he was looking at before clicking on it to see what it was about. Of course, he might have been a little reluctant to do so if he'd checked the properties of the file to find out it was only added that day; that morning, to be exact.

"Ya know, ya might have better luck if ya set up a magnetic pulse." he mused aloud, as he half-listened and half-read about the reasons Exit Materia was banned in the first place; namely due to the fact that many users had materialized within or partially within solid objects such as walls or even trees, somewhat shortening the life-span of the user dramatically. Apparently it was quite a common mishap that happened to even the most experienced of users, despite all the research in the document on how to use it properly.

"Magnetic pulse?" Tseng finally queried with his brow quirked while Reno remained oblivious to their questioning stares.

"Yeah…" He muttered. "Would probably disable 'em… Might even help ya find 'em too, considerin they'd probably be roasted from it."

"Wouldn't that affect all the other electronics in the area?" Rude asked suspiciously, as he wondered what the hell was going through Reno's mind as he continued to sit there with his back to them.

"Well, that's probably why ya'd wanna try it in a small area." Pausing long enough to take a drag from his cigarette and scroll to the next page of the document he was still reading, he muttered out. "Personally, I'd try it in an area I suspected to be under observation an say 'fuck it' to the rest of the electronics in the room."

As the two men continued to watch Reno while he shrugged and continued to absorb the information at an unnatural rate, Tseng finally mimicked. "Fuck it…"

"Yeah… Well… Guess it depends on how desperate ya are ta find 'em, I guess."

"And what would you do if and when you found one?" Rude asked, as he shut the radio off and placed it in his pocket.

"Dunno… Ain't my job, Man…" Then he took another drag, before he thought out loud. "Guess, I'd take it down ta that weird guy… Reed."

"Reeve." Tseng and Rude both corrected, and then Tseng took another sip from his cup.

"Whatever… I'd assume he'd be able ta study the things an be able ta come up with a way ta either disable or destroy 'em without harmin anythin else." After that, Reno finally got to the end of the document, since he didn't really need to spend a lot of time on it to get the context of what it was saying and turned around to hang over the back of his chair. "Course, it's a bit destructive… But it sure as hell beats spendin the rest of eternity tryin ta assume ya can find somethin ya know nothin about or that might not even exist… 'least this way, ya can hit a few high-suspect areas, an then either call it quits an move onta somethin else, or find what yer lookin fer."

"What type of magnetic pulse did you have in mind?" Rude asked, almost as if he'd forgotten the redhead probably didn't even remember he used to tinker with such devices in the past.

"Dunno… That Reed guy –"

"Reeve." They both corrected again, while wondering if he was making that mistake on purpose.

"Whatever… he's like a master of all this crap, ain't he?" Reno commented, before taking another drag from his cigarette. "I'd probably talk ta him about settin somethin up… Maybe." Then he got up to get himself another beer, and added. "Like I mean, ya guys are Turks… ya probably have like a standard or somethin ta go by already."

At that, Rude looked over at Tseng in questioning, and Tseng simply shook his head before muttering "Go ahead" to Rude, as he received an acknowledging nod from the man as a response that he understood.

"Okay… Well, I guess I'm off to talk to Reed…" Rude sighed, as he adjusted his shades, and then he shook his head quickly when he realized what he just said. "I mean… Reeve."

Then he turned to leave as Tseng grinned behind his cup, and Reno chuckled under the frame of the kitchen door with a beer in his hand.

- - -

_"You're not the son I wanted, Rufus!" Boris Shinra yelled, as the young boy wiped the blood away from his mouth and remained silent in an attempt to not encourage another hit. "You're an embarrassment… A pathetic excuse for a 'man'."_

_-_

With a sigh, Rufus brushed his hand through his hair and sat back in his chair with his eyes closed. For some reason, he'd been having more and more flashes of his father ever since he found out there was a possible double of himself running around. He didn't really know why though.

Basically, the only reason he could come up with in his own mind was that maybe he was trying to make sense out of who this other person could possibly be, and it was stirring up unwanted memories for whatever reason.

Suddenly smirking, he sat forward and placed his arm on his desk as he rolled up his sleeve to view the cigar burns that still marked him, and then he stared at his cigarette while remembering the reason he never liked the things to begin with. But it didn't stop him from taking a ridiculously long drag from it, and getting some sort of twisted satisfaction at the strange defiance he felt over it. It also didn't stop him from placing the heated end to his own arm as a reminder that he could overcome the bastard.

But despite his own masochistic tendencies, he quickly pulled his sleeve down and hid the bottle he was drinking from when he was interrupted by a light tapping on his door and muttered out "Come in," Just loud enough for the other person to hear only if they were listening well enough. And for a moment, he looked around in confusion while wondering why that woman he hired as a receptionist… _Sharin? Was it?_ Didn't call him on the intercom to tell him someone was there to see him.

Or something like that.

"Hey…" Reno said meekly, after he peeked his head through the non-intrusive opening he made. "Tseng, uh… He'd kinda like ta go home."

"What?" Rufus asked in confusion, right as he took a final drag from his cigarette and put it out.

"It's kinda late." With a quick motion of his head toward the Receptionist's office where Tseng was standing, Reno humbly stepped a little further into Rufus' office. "So, I told him ta go. But he refused… An so, I thought… Maybe we'd come up here an… heh." Pausing bashfully for a moment, Reno scratched at the back of his neck and kept his hand on the door as it opened a little further. "Maybe ya could babysit me or… somethin."

Still staring at Reno with a slight confusion, Rufus looked at his watch and realized it was passed zero-hundred hours and cocked his brow.

"I won't get in yer way." Reno explained, as he took a testing step forward. "I mean… I understand ya must be busy if yer here this late. But Tseng really should get ta go home sometime tonight… yeah?"

Actually, as Rufus sat there thinking about it, he didn't really do any work that day, and he suddenly realized he was going to have a shit-load to do the next day. Of course, he could just remain a day behind and catch up on the weekend. He'd done it before.

"Ah." Rufus muttered, still in a strange daze as the redhead stood there uncomfortably and waited for some kind of response. "You're dismissed."

"Me?"

"Hm?" Cocking his brow again, Rufus looked at Reno and realized he wasn't making much sense. "No. Tseng." He informed, and then he motioned his hand for Reno to enter his office. "You can stay here with me."

Nodding, Reno turned around and told Tseng with a slight uncertainty that he could go, even though the man overheard and was starting to have his own doubts about whether or not he should listen. But he nodded back to the redhead and left anyway, leaving Reno to stand there with his hands in his pockets while looking around uncomfortably.

He hadn't actually been in Rufus' office since they brought him in, and it seemed kind of strange to him. He suddenly felt like he needed to have an important reason to be there.

"Ya know… I was kinda hopin ya'd come home soon." He started hesitantly, in hopes of making some kind of conversation.

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" With a nervous snicker, Reno quickly took his hands out of his pockets and shook them out to expel some of his energy and moved toward the desk with a cautious watch on the blonde for any signs of disapproval. "Was hopin I could make ya apologise."

"Apologise for what?" Rufus asked with a cocked brow as his curiosity suddenly peeked.

"Fer pullin my hair."

_That was over two weeks ago…_ Rufus thought to himself as he motioned with his hand to encourage the redhead to come over to where he was sitting. "You want me to apologise for that?" He asked with a mild disbelief and pulled on Reno's arm when he was close enough to bring him closer.

"Yeah… It hurt." Reno mumbled as he was pulled to Rufus' lap. "It still kinda hurts."

"Perhaps I should get what's-her-name to take a look at you." Rufus mused, as he tried to remember Erryn's name. It would have been an understatement to suggest the blonde's thoughts were occupied with other things. Then he brushed Reno's hair back while the man squirmed to make himself more comfortable. "That shouldn't still be bothering you."

"Whatever." Reno sighed, and rested his head on Rufus' shoulder. "Ya believe what ya wanna believe."

"Hm." Rufus mused, as he sat there and petted Reno's hair. Then he pushed the man up a bit and studied him carefully for a moment. "I… have something for you." He started, and hoped it wasn't to soon to give it to him.

"Oh?" With his brow raised, Reno looked at Rufus with an almost child-like playfulness and stuck his tongue between his teeth. "As long as it ain't my hair, I think I'm interested."

"It's not your hair." Rufus mumbled, wondering why in the hell Reno just couldn't drop it. Then he explained. "It was actually yours to begin with. But I'm afraid I simply don't know what the appropriate time is to give it back to you. So…"

"Damn." Reno muttered, and tilted his head with an impish grin. "An here I thought ya were gonna give me a gift."

"It was a gift."

"From who?"

"From me."

"So, it is a gift." the redhead stated, as the corner of Rufus' mouth turned to a smile while he reached into his breast pocket.

"In a way… I suppose it is." Rufus admitted. "However, I don't want you thinking this is going to become a habit of mine."

"Nah… Ya don't seem the type."

"Well, I could be." Rufus muttered with another smirk as he pulled out the earring to show it to the man. Then he told Reno to tilt his head as he mused. "I hope this hasn't closed up over the years. It will hurt if it has."

"Yer gonna jus stick it in if it has?" Reno asked with a bit of worry and almost pulled away. But Rufus stopped him and continued to smirk at him without giving any kind of assuring answer.

"I might."

"Fuck this then…" He said, and tried to get up. However, Rufus was determined to hang onto him and gripped his hand harder around the redhead's arm as he held him in place.

"Do you honestly believe I'd do that?" He finally asked when he pulled the redhead closer.

"I dunno." Reno admitted. "Ya pull out my hair… So…"

Narrowing his eyes at the fact that Reno seemed overly fixated on something that didn't seem to bother him until out of the blue, Rufus found himself a little irritated. After all, why in the hell wasn't it an issue on the day that it happened? Why now? But he brushed it aside, knowing Reno had always been strange and wound up smirking at the redhead again when he showed him his empty hands. "There." He stated, and pulled the redhead back onto his lap. "You didn't even notice."

"Heh…"

With a sigh at the sheepish grin he got in return, the President ran his fingers lightly over the redhead's face in a strange sort of adoration, before Reno leaned into his shoulder and practically curled up onto his lap.

"I did some readin today."

"Oh?" Rufus asked, and started combing out the red strands in an almost trance-like manner. "Are you all right with what you've read."

"Yeah…"

Almost hesitantly, Rufus let out a small sigh, and continued to smooth out the matted mess attached to Reno's head.

"Most of what I read were my thoughts on ya… Figured I could handle that."

"I see." Not really sure if he really wanted to ask, the President simply sat there quietly. He was well-aware of all the things he did wrong with the man, not to mention the fact that he pretty much held him against his will to ensure that he stayed with him. And quite possibly, it might have been the first time that Rufus actually felt nervous about the outcome of the conversation he was almost afraid of having.

"S'Funny… I jus could'n see ya smokin or cookin fer some reason… An now I know why." Then he tilted his head and watched Rufus' calm expression as the President drank in what Reno was saying. "What made ya decide ta start?"

"Well…" Rufus started with another sigh, while looking ahead. "You became rather insistent that I learn when you thought you wouldn't be around anymore. And then when you went into stasis, I thought it might be appropriate if I made you a decent meal when you woke up… I suppose I wanted to impress you…" He answered, as if a bit of a weight was lifted. "And as for the smoking…" With a pause to pull one out at the mention of it, Rufus turned his chair so his right arm was at the desk, and took a moment to light it. "I started when I thought you were dead."

He didn't elaborate on the reason why though. But the atmosphere suggested he didn't really need to, and Reno nodded as if he understood. "Ya missed me?"

With nothing more than a nod as he looked ahead in a daze, Rufus took a drag from the cigarette before Reno took it from him to take one for himself and handed it back to him. "I suppose I did."

"I wish I could remember more of us." The redhead mused, as he curiously studied the blonde. Then he snuggled a little closer before reluctantly asking. "Were ya always attracted ta men?"

"Yes." Rufus admitted quietly, while still looking ahead in an unfocused distance.

"An… I was'n."

"You were confused."

"So, ya sayin I was?"

"No." Rufus answered, and took another drag. "I'm saying you were simply confused." Then he took a deep and shaky breath before adjusting himself beneath the redhead, and glanced at him quickly in advance of returning his attention to the empty space ahead. "And I'm afraid I didn't help matters much for you."

"So, ya feel kinda guilty."

"Perhaps."

"I don't think ya need ta feel that way." Reno admitted, just before he yawned. "I mean, from what I know of myself, I don't think I'd really do anythin I don't really wanna do."

"You don't." Rufus agreed, and then he tapped his fingers lightly on the back of the redhead's head. But it still wasn't enough to convince him that he never made a mistake, even though he couldn't let go of the man if his life depended on it.

"An that don't make ya feel any better?" After a slight shift for his own comfort, Reno gently placed his hand under Rufus' jaw to encourage him to look at him. Then he smiled charmingly at the man to try and cheer him up from whatever melancholy he'd fallen into. "'Cuz I think it should."

With a slight turn at the corner of Rufus' mouth, even though it was hardly a convincing smile, he ran his eyes adoringly over the man and then settled on his eyes that seemed to have a life of their own. He didn't answer the man though. But he did think about it.

Unfortunately, it didn't really have the effect that Reno intended. Because there were a lot of things Reno did that suggested he didn't want to be with Rufus. Of course, Cloud was at the top of that list, despite the fact that Rufus always suspected the main reason Reno was so willing to die with Aldrich was because he thought he belonged to that sociopath from the beginning. But Cloud was still alive, which pretty much was the reason he was bumped to the top. Not to mention, there were several occasions where Reno did try to leave, and Rufus simply wouldn't let him.

He knew he was only torturing himself though. Because somewhere deep inside, Rufus knew that if Reno really wanted to leave that he would have, regardless of what Rufus did or threatened him with. But for some reason, he preferred to focus on the negatives.

-

_"He's a wild dog, Rufus!" Boris Shinra warned, as the boy fell to the floor. Then he knelt down and lowered his voice to a threatening growl as he gripped his hand into the blood-matted hair and stressfully lifted him from the floor. "Maybe I 'should' let you pursue that redhead… It would serve you right when he turns on you."_ _After that, he let out a cruel chuckle and slammed the kid into the edge of his desk. "Of course, that's assuming you could ever get your hands on him in the first place."_

-

"Let's go home." Rufus finally said, as he nudged the drifting redhead back to being fully awake and put out his cigarette.

He honestly would have admitted that he couldn't help the way he felt about the scarred man then and there. But part of him told him it simply wasn't time yet.


	16. Near Dawn

**Chapter 16: Near Dawn**

* * *

He did it.

He finally did it, even though he had no idea how he did it.

It took him days though, and it almost seemed like a miracle.

Some time in the middle of the night, Cloud finally got the chains unlocked. He was almost about to give up but his stubborn side wouldn't let him quit. And with a shaky and unfocused determination, he coaxed one of the guards to open his cell and attacked him, giving him access to the man's weapons.

Then with a stumbling lack of hesitation, he made his way through the labyrinth of stale and flaking halls, despite the painful dizziness brought on by the malfunctioning and flickering lights and found his way outside.

It was at the cost of four more guards though.

But he didn't care, and he took advantage of taking their weapons as well. He needed all the help he could get and he knew it. Despite the fact that he was drugged with a high mixture of whatever Marcus was giving him and a suspected sedative to keep his limits from aiding him, he still had enough strength and perseverance to fuel his motivations, and he made his way to the aged and untouched forests of the island where he could seek cover and advantage.

It was dark out though, and he had difficulty navigating his way around. But nothing was going to stop him. However, the darkness was part of what aided him, allowing him to use the shadows as a resource for when he needed to stop and catch his breath, which was quite often.

He hated the feeling of being weak and vulnerable, and under normal circumstances he would have faced the enemy fearlessly. However, despite his inability to think clearly, he knew better than to jeopardise his only chances.

And like a hunted animal, he ran.

He ran from the echoing voices of a numberless group of men who proceeded on the chase to reclaim a captive whose escape would most surely bear unpleasant circumstances for them.

"Spread out!" He heard them saying, as he checked the cartridges for the gun he'd stolen. Then he rubbed at his eyes to try and clear his frustratingly blurry vision before trying to run again.

In all his life, he'd never been in such a situation, and wound up operating on instinct alone.

"He couldn't have gotten far!" Someone yelled at a disturbingly close distance. "Find him!"

And with a sickened feeling, Cloud crouched to the ground with the gun readied and waited. Then for the first time since he could remember, he actually found himself wishing someone would help him as a pathetic and helpless feeling overtook him.

_Aeris…_ He prayed, wanting nothing more than to hear her voice for comfort. _Why did you send me back?_

It was weak. To think he could find an answer to why this had to be his destiny, was nothing more than a broken attempt, and he was almost willing to give up then and there.

After everything he'd done to try and rectify his existence and the mistakes he'd made…

His self-pity was cut short though, and almost on instinct alone, he dropped the gun and grabbed one of the knives he stole before moving faster than even he expected. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that stealth had better advantages than openly firing, and the knife went quickly into the back of the man that was searching for him nearby.

He didn't remove his hand from the man's mouth right away though. Instead, he kept it covered until he was certain no life was left while he dragged the dead weight clumsily into the shadows and out of sight before taking the weapons from him as well.

Despite all of his own pathetic and useless feelings, he wasn't willing to go back without a fight. In fact, if he had anything to do with it at all, he wasn't going to go back. Period.

He'd kill them all if he had to.

- - -

"This is ridiculous, Vincent." Cid grumbled, after he set the Highwind on auto-navigation. Despite the fact that it was late, neither of them was tired and they took to standing on the open deck while making their way from the Southern islands to the North-East. "It's like looking for a fucking needle in a haystack."

Agreeing with the man by subtly nodding, Vincent stood near the rail as he scanned the passing areas with sharp eyes while the old pilot drank his beer and smoked his cigar.

"He could be dead for all we know."

"He's not dead." Vincent answered quietly, refusing to take his attention away from the grounds below.

"How the hell would you know?"

He didn't. But he wasn't willing to give up on the young ex-Soldier and refused to entertain the thought until he saw verification of the fact. However, he wasn't going to pass those thoughts onto Cid for fear that the man would take it as a sign to give up on the search, and Vincent wasn't willing to do that just yet.

He already had too much to repent for that he simply refused to add another weight to the debt he felt he owed, by turning his back.

- - -

Back at Ten-ji's Kalm-located office, the stalky-built Wutain found himself furiously shouting into his PHS at Marcus like it was becoming some sort of sport for him. It wasn't always like that, he thought to himself, as the blonde claimed he was in the Gaia-forsaken woods aiding in the search for the escaped ex-Soldier.

Well, to hell with that and let the damn nuisance go, he thought. It wasn't like he could get very far, and would most-likely wind up dead after running into enough of the native, carnivorous, creatures that lived there. Why in Leviathan's name was he losing so many men to a captive he never saw necessary in the first place?

And to top it off, why in the hell was Marcus out there tending to the search as well? The idiot was risking his own safety by being out there.

"Get your ass back inside where it's safe, you idiot!" he demanded to what appeared to be distant gun-fire in the background, followed by sudden dead air. Then he nearly panicked when he asked with a suddenly strange concern. "Marcus?"

- - -

They'd found him.

Some of the men had found him and he wound up firing back, saying to hell with attracting attention. After all, the attention was already attracted.

He might have taken out maybe two or three men with his blind firing before he turned to run toward the indigenous life-forms he could barely make out. But at that point he didn't care and fired at them too.

He wasn't really sure if he would have had better success if he could see clearly though. Cloud never really was talented with firearms. It was actually one of the many reasons he never qualified for nothing more than a grunt within the ranks of Soldier. He could aim and shoot though, and he was quite capable of hitting his targets, most of the time. But he lacked any natural finesse, and handled the weapons rather clumsily and awkwardly.

However, he didn't really care about those things at that point, and he ran straight into a swarm of readied Goblins while firing blindly and haphazardly, forward and behind, until there was nothing left in the cartridge. Then he threw the gun to the ground and grabbed one of the stolen swords from the sheath it came with and readied it for something he did have a natural finesse for.

And despite his drugged condition, he hacked his way through and passed, leaving the live ones to attack the men that were chasing after him with better success than they had with him.

- - -

As the Highwind got closer to the North-East, passed the Midgar region, Vincent grew increasingly quiet. And almost like instinct, Cid sensed the gunfighter found something peculiar to focus on, and hoped silently that maybe he was onto something.

He didn't say anything though. Instead, he quietly sipped his beer and placed his cigar between his teeth. Then he stepped up beside the cloaked man and took note of where his attention was set and tried to see if he could see what Vincent might have been seeing.

But Vincent wasn't seeing anything though. He was simply listening to something that could have been a distant commotion not worth noting.

However, nothing was really not worth noting, and Vincent finally said in a quiet tone as if he was going to disturb someone if he spoke any louder. "Lower the ship and set a course for Goblin Island."

Without hesitation or question, since Cid knew lowering the ship kept it below radar and detection, the old pilot made his way quickly to the helm to follow Vincent's requests and found himself with an unfamiliar sense of hope.

- - -

It was all futile.

Cloud suddenly knew where he was when he recognised the creatures to be Goblins and threw the sword down angrily when he hit the shores. Despite the fact that it was suddenly quiet and seemingly safe, he knew he was screwed beyond hope.

There was no where to go, and he fell to his knees while ripping the metal symbol of Fenrir from his shoulder-piece to throw it into the sand for betraying him. Then he finally let his exhaustion set in while letting out a pent-up scream to let out his frustrations.

He didn't care if he was heard.

It was over.

There was no way anyone was ever going to find him, and there was no way he was ever going to get away. Ocean relentlessly surrounded him in every direction. Even if he was lucky enough to find a ship that he might have been brought in on, or even an aircraft, he knew he simply didn't have the energy, the manpower, or even the know-how to operate them, and he would have probably cried over it if he would have allowed himself to.

But instead of crying, the only emotions that set in were bitterness and despair over the curse of his life.

"Come, come, now, Cloud." Came that ever so tormenting voice from behind that was not only Rufus', but also Marcus', as it calmly carried in the air with a false sense of compassion before the sound of a trigger was pulled. "You had me worried… Wandering around in the dangerous woods like that could have gotten you killed."

- - -

The Highwind landed some hours later near a clearing at a part of the island both Cid and Vincent felt was private enough to avoid detection, on the off chance they were on the right track. After that, they made there way through the edges of the woods along the shores cautiously as the growing daylight started to rise over the horizon.

They both remained quiet and ready for any kind of opposition as Cid held his lance firmly in his right hand and Vincent checked his chambers to ensure he was fully loaded.

"Ya still carry your Materia?" Cid asked, as he chewed on the end of his unlit cigar.

"Restore and Barrier." Vincent answered as he tried to ignore the harsh light that Cid found too dim to be able to make anything out with. Of course, he carried Morph around too. But since it didn't really have anything to do with battle, he didn't feel it was worth mentioning. He only used it to attain his Dream Powder whenever he was near an enemy he could morph into it.

"You still keep them paired with All?"

Nodding, Vincent placed his gun back in his holster and led the way as the light continued to grow at a steady pace.

"Looks like you're gonna be our healer and defence then." The pilot muttered as he shifted his cigar to the other side of his mouth. "'Course, let's hope we won't be needing them, eh?"

"What about you?"

"Just Deathblow and Double Cut." Cid answered. Then he held up his lance and grinned proudly at it. "Keep 'em in my Flayer for that extra edge."

Cid would have chuckled at himself for being the ruffian he was, but he was cut off when Vincent suddenly stopped with his right arm up to encourage the pilot to do the same, and then he crouched to the ground as he stared at something Cid couldn't make out. Next, he pointed with his clawed gauntlet toward something shiny on the shores near something that looked like heavy skid marks.

After carefully assessing the area for any signs of life as he listened and watched, Vincent finally nodded into his mantle and stood slowly while motioning for Cid to follow.

"Be prepared." The gunman warned quietly, and then he took one more cautious look around before stepping over the low ferns and walking toward the shores.

He didn't see or hear anything that suggested they weren't alone. But there was no reason to neglect the fact that it could all change in an instant. "Weapons." Cid muttered in observation when they got to their destination, as the light started to become more dominant.

There were a few firearms and blades scattered about, and as they got closer, it looked as though the skids in the sand could have been a heavily-built body being dragged back toward the woods. And if it was Cloud that was being dragged, then it would suggest that whoever was dragging him was fairly strong, if not unnaturally, simply by the almost glide-like appearance of the trail.

"Wholly mother of…" Cid trailed off as he looked around, and noted the dark red stains on the leaves where the trail led off to. "What the hell happened here?"

"I heard gunfire." Vincent answered. Then he tilted his head curiously as he saw something round and shiny, almost buried in the sand, and knelt down to get a better look.

"Watcha got?" Cid asked, as he kept his guard on the woods while Vincent turned the object over in his hands and lowered his face into his mantle.

"Fenrir."

And as if Cid had completely forgotten he was keeping watch, he wound up next to Vincent to view the strange medallion of the wolf that Cloud always adorned over his left shoulder, verifying that they were finally on the right track.

However, the scenario they were presented with left them both thinking quietly to themselves, as they silently hoped they weren't too late.

- - -

For a couple of days, Reno had been secretly practising what he'd learned from the Materia file he found. He'd tell either Rude or Tseng he was going to the bathroom, only to focus on another room once the door was closed and wound up somewhere else. He was playing it safe though, and chose simple and close places to teleport to like the closets or the bedrooms, or even the other bathroom, just in case something went wrong. Then he'd teleport back and come out like nothing had ever happened, despite both the Turks suspicions over why Reno seemed to have to go to the bathroom so often when he never did before.

He was always nervous about it though, knowing that all it took was one simple mistake for it all to end. But he discovered he was actually quite good at winding up where he wanted to go, making him wonder if maybe he already knew how to use the Materia and just couldn't remember.

However, he didn't really know where he wanted to go once he discovered he'd already mastered it.

During this time, Rude spoke to Reeve and a small device was developed to set off a contained magnetic pulse that only affected a modest area of no more than three square feet.

"This way, you won't create too much damage in a given area." The slender aristocrat informed Rude as he explained what it did and how to use it. "Just remember to stay away from areas you know we use for security purposes. I'd hate to think of what could happen if you disabled something like that by accident, considering all the vulnerabilities we already have."

"Point taken." Rude agreed, before he placed the small device in his pocket and decided he'd get to work on using it right away.

Then much to his own satisfaction, the man found success in the third place he searched when Tseng was on guard-watch in Rufus' apartment.

"What was that?" Reno asked, when he heard a strange clunk, after Tseng felt like getting some fresh air and went out on the balcony. After which, the redhead was about to get brave enough to read a file called _Subject B-24 _he'd found while going through the folders in his laptop. Despite the fact that there was something about the name that gave him chills, he felt compelled to read it.

"I don't know." Rude answered as he stared at the wall without any readable expression.

"Hm." Reno mumbled, and then he heard another strange clunk as he almost clicked on the file and stopped to stare curiously at the wall. That time it was closer to him. "Sounds like there's somethin in the walls."

"…"

After that, Reno took the last drag from his cigarette, and then he put it out and got up from his chair when they both heard another one and Reno's screen went dead. "All right, Man… What the hell'r ya doin?" He asked suspiciously, as the Turk stood there with something in his hand. "Ya jus fucked up my laptop."

"I'm just hitting this button." Rude explained, as he held up the device for the redhead to see.

"What the fuck is that?"

"A magnetic pulse thing."

"A magnetic pulse…" Suddenly realizing what that could possibly mean, Reno literally freaked out on the big man. "Ya fuckin idiot! Ya jus fried my fuckin hard-drive!"

"Really?" Rude stupidly asked, before he looked at the device like he was confused.

"Yeah, ya fuckin _Turk_!" He screamed, while he stood there staring at him in disbelief. "Don't they fuckin teach ya guys nothin? It's fuckin magnetic!" Then he lowered his voice and fell to his knees in front of the laptop like he was mourning over a lost love, and muttered out. "Ya fuckin fried it, Man… Yer a fuckin idiot… Ain't no way I'm ever gonna retrieve any of the data now… Ya fuckin erased my life, Man… Yer a piece'a shit … Ya know that?"

"Relax." Rude said casually, like it wasn't that big of a deal, as Tseng walked back into the room to find out what the commotion was all about. Then he hit the button again to see if he could hear any more clunks within the walls.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS'A MATTER WITH YOU?" Reno suddenly freaked, while jumping to his feet when he saw the man hit the button again and start laughing. "IT AIN'T FUCKING FUNNY, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"Settle down." Rude commanded while still chuckling at the furious redhead. "You get worked up too easily."

"Too easily?" With his hand on his hip, the redhead looked like he might very well have been talking to the dumbest person on the planet in sheer and utter disbelief. Of course, Tseng didn't help matters much by seeming not to care and deciding he wasn't going to get involved by going into the kitchen to pour himself some more coffee. "Yer fuckin walkin around here, fryin everythin, an yer tellin me I get worked up too easily?"

"Yes." Rude admitted. Then he motioned his hand over to the plug that fell out of the wall, and said. "You do." After that, he started inspecting the moulding along the base of the walls, and commented that "Maybe if you actually left the battery in there, it wouldn't have shut off on you like that."

"Very funny." Reno suddenly grumbled in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "The battery was dead… was'n used fer five fuckin years, ya know." Then he came over to help the Turk look for whatever he was looking for and playfully kicked him in the thigh before crouching down. "Sorry, Man."

"Don't apologise." Rude consoled while adjusting his shades. "You always acted like that whenever anything happened to your laptop." Then he picked up a small piece of metal resting on the baseboard that was no larger than a tiny insect and lifted his shades to get a better look, while Tseng re-appeared with his cup and crouched down to do the same. "I guess I just wanted to see if you still would."

"That what I think it is?"

"Mm."

- - -

During all this time, Rufus continued with his own sudden fixation on this _twin_ he was becoming more obsessed with by the day, and found himself frustrated when he kept hitting nothing but dead ends. All the while, he kept his research to himself and grew more furious and suspicious of Tseng as each day passed.

He was certain there was something the Wutain wasn't telling him, despite the fact that he actually _knew_ there was something Tseng wasn't telling him.

But what the hell was the man hiding?

And why?

He'd spent the last two days going through all the records he could find from Junon, and every other facility in regards to finding something out about Tseng's non-existent past, wondering why he never found Tseng's immaculately clean record suspicious before. But then again, he never felt the need to dig that far into the man's past before.

The man raised him for Gaia's sake. Why on the planet's miserable existence would Rufus ever suspect there might have been more than what he thought he already knew?

And this _twin_…

It was bound to drive him mad.

-

_"You're not the son I wanted, Rufus!"_

**-**

Just as that thought hit him, he pushed the last of Tseng's files angrily from his desk and watched them scatter carelessly to the floor before brushing his bangs back.

How could he not know that? The man kept reminding him for Gaia's sake.

And why the hell was he focussing on something that irrelevant after all those years anyway?

The man had been dead for over a decade, and he knew he was never the _son_ that bastard wanted. No, his father wanted a _man_ as a son; someone who'd make him proud, not someone who'd be an embarrassment to the name _Shinra_.

But…

Was that what he meant?

"Sir?" Came the voice of his secretary over his intercom, interrupting him from any further thoughts on the subject.

"Yes, Sharin."

"You wanted me to let you know when the surveillance from the prison arrived…"

"It's here?"

"Yes, Sir. Would you like me to bring it to you?"

"Yes." Rufus answered, shortly before the meek secretary entered his office and submissively placed the package on his desk. Then he said "Thank you. You may go," before she humbly lowered her head to him and left.

- - -

"Ten-ji." Darius said, as he returned to the man's office after talking to some of their men. "We've just lost the feeds to Rufus' apartment."

"Well." The Wutain blurted out as he set his glass on his desk. "Isn't that just _fitting._"

"Is something bothering you?"

Wondering why the man even needed to ask, Ten-ji tapped his ring on the edge of his desk and stared at the Mideelan cock-eyed. Of course something was bothering him. There was a Gaiadamned ex-Soldier running loose on one of his islands, and Marcus hung up on him after hearing gunfire, leaving Ten-ji with the disturbing feeling that the idiot didn't listen to him about getting his ass to safety.

And to top it off, the surveillance to Rufus' apartment had just been discovered, leaving no doubt in the miserable Wutain's mind that the other cameras were soon to follow.

"We need another plan." He muttered, as the Mideelan nodded in agreement and made his way over to the chair in front of his desk. "I knew this whole _Cloud_ thing was a fucking mistake."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I want to go back to square one." He stated, and then he leaned forward to polish off his sake before getting up to refill it while adding. "With a twist."

"A twist?"

"Yes." With a practically constant nod, the stalky-built Wutain filled his glass to the brim and then he took a sip to avoid it from spilling. "Tseng and Reno were the ones we wanted out of the picture to begin with. They're both fucking traitors and they both know Rufus better than anyone else, making them our biggest threats."

After that, he wiped the lip imprint from his glass and came to sit on the front edge of his desk in front of Darius. "I want you to get some of your best men together and terminate both Tseng and Reno. Do it in their fucking apartments for all I care. I hoped we could use Reno… Get him back, but he's turning out to be more trouble than he's worth."

"And if all goes well, hopefully Marcus didn't run off and get himself killed like the brain-dead moron he is." Then he took another drink and tapped his ring on the glass before pointing his finger in warning at his friend. "And don't fucking say it's about time! I know how you fucking feel about all of this."

"Well, it is about time." Darius stated, knowing his Boss wouldn't do anything to him for stating such a fact.

"Hm." With a shake to his head, he brushed the silvery strand that kept falling forward behind his ear and sighed. "I wanted to do this all clean." He reminded the man. "But it just keeps turning into a bigger mess."

"It will all work out." Darius encouraged, before he stood from his seat so he could lean on the desk beside his friend. "I know you don't think highly of Marcus, but he's not as dumb as you think he is. He's not about to get himself killed."

"He nearly got his throat cut from getting too cocky with that _Soldier_. I told him it wasn't worth the fucking trouble."

"He can't help the way he is, Ten-ji. He's growing just as impatient as we are."

"No shit. If Kurn hadn't been so obsessed with that fucking reaction Renault had to that damn Meteor-bacteria-crap, we could have had this all settled years ago." Ignoring his friend's hand on his shoulder in an attempt to get him to calm down, he continued to vent while tapping his ring sporadically on his glass. "It was a simple fucking task. Kill Reno… Kill Tseng… Kill Rufus… Send Marcus in to do damage control, all in that order, and no one would have ever known. Shinra would have been under our control and Marcus would have been happier than a Chocobo at the races."

- - -

He didn't really know why he requested the surveillance from the day of Cloud's release, except to say that maybe he just wanted to see it for himself. Maybe a part of him didn't really want to believe that Tseng was turning on him.

Out of everybody in Rufus' world, Tseng was always the one and only constant. He was always the one person Rufus always felt he could turn to. Even when he'd gone too far, the man was always willing to accept Rufus with open arms and forgive him with a fatherly acceptance.

Despite all that though, Rufus was rather stunned after he slipped the disk in and basically watched _himself _interact with Cloud and hand the documents over for the man to sign. In all honesty, it wasn't exactly what he was expecting to see.

But the revelation and the first glimpse at what Rufus could only assume must have been _Marcus_ wasn't the most disturbing part. The most disturbing part was when Rufus suddenly realized that Tseng never denied letting Cloud out, suggesting that Tseng not only knew, he had no intention of telling him either.

And at that moment, Rufus' blood suddenly ran cold. Then he abruptly stood from his chair as if he'd seen a ghost.

"It can't be…"

After that, he demanded that two of his pilot-licensed Turks meet him on the tarmac immediately before he left Midgar without telling anyone where he was going or even that he'd left.

- - -

While Rude showed the small device to Reeve, Reno found himself curiously looking around and settling on a model of one of the man's Cait Siths.

_Heh… The man likes toys_, he thought to himself in amusement, and then he knelt down to take a closer look at it with a bit of a chuckle.

Figuring it would be fine to inspect it as the two Geeks discussed whatever they were discussing about studying the thing they found in Rufus' apartment, and coming up with some way to take all the other's out of commission without the further use of magnetic pulses, Reno found himself peculiarly drawn to the opening on the back of the small cat-like robot where it's power cell was housed.

But he pulled his hand away as if he'd touched fire, and wound up sitting in a daze while no one noticed. Then his hand reached toward his breast as if he was wearing his Turk uniform and was still carrying something inside of his breast pocket.

-

_"I don't think a drink is what you need right now… Maybe I should take you to the infirmary."_

_"I need yer help, Reeve."_

-

"Ya drink scotch…" Reno muttered, mostly to himself as the other two men turned their suddenly quiet attention toward him without him noticing. Then he pulled out his cigarettes and looked at the pack. "An we smoke the same brand…"

"Intriguing." Reeve muttered, as both he and Rude stood there, staring at the redhead that appeared to be in some kind of strange trance. "Does he do this often?"

With a nod, Rude quietly said. "Erryn says it's almost like a short-circuit in his brain." Then he adjusted his shades before standing at ease. "It's similar to what he used to do when he'd zone out before the accident in the fact that he doesn't remember anything afterwards. But it's not quite the same."

"Really?" Reeve asked with a peeked curiosity and took a few steps closer to Reno. "Is he aware of his surroundings?"

"No."

As Reeve got closer, he knelt down beside the muttering redhead, and studied his eyes since he'd heard about them but had never actually seen it. "Amazing."

"I remember ya." Reno said lightly, as the colours of his eyes swam against themselves like waves. "Sector Seven… Ya used ta come fer the women."

Suddenly more embarrassed than amazed, Reeve cleared his throat, and then stood up to straighten himself out. "That's not true." He protested awkwardly, as Rude looked him over with a bit of doubt.

"Ya liked the redheads."

"Good Gaia…"

"So, you _do_ have a love-life…" Rude mused, while watching the man turn almost bright red while he rubbed nervously at his goatee. "And from the sounds of it, an interesting one."

"How long does this last for?"

"I'm hoping a little longer than usual."

"That's not funny." Reeve mumbled, as Tseng returned from a break demanded by nature, giving the engineer a sense of hope from any further embarrassment.

"What's going on?" The Wutain asked when he saw Rude standing there with an uncharacteristically silly grin on his face while Reeve stood there, staring at the redhead kneeling on the floor like he was hoping the man had an off switch.

"Reno's doing his thing again." Rude explained, almost on the verge of chuckling.

With a quirk to his brow, Tseng looked them all over again, and then asked a little hesitantly. "What did he say this time?"

"It turns out that he'd seen Reeve around when he used to live in Sector Seven."

"He's gotten me mistaken with someone else." Reeve protested.

"Sure he does." Rude mockingly agreed, just as Reno suddenly snapped out of it and stared at the cigarettes in his hand with a shrug before putting them away.

"So…" Tseng said before letting out a deep breath. "Bad-boy Reeve has a history. Does he?"

"I do not."

"Of course you don't." Tseng taunted with a lack of expression, before he faintly smirked. "I always knew you were shady."

"I thought you two came down here to discuss the cameras." In an attempt to change the subject, Reeve walked back over to the counter where he set the device down, while Reno looked at Tseng with a strange confusion and asked "When did you get here?"

"Just now." Tseng answered while motioning to Reno not to worry about it. Then he followed Reeve over to the counter while stating. "We did."

- - -

Once the helicopter landed in the damaged town of Gongaga, Rufus stepped out and explained to his Turks that he was looking for a doctor named Ernsteid Furlow. "He's a paediatrician." Rufus explained, as he started to make his way on foot through the sandy and shaded trails, toward the newly rebuilt town near the centre.

"He used to work for Shinra until shortly after I was born, and he may become difficult if he finds out I want to speak with him." While warning the men as they made there way through the trails, Rufus quickened his pace and expected his Turks to keep up with him without having to say so. "However, I refuse to take no for an answer. And if you find him before I do. Hold him, until I arrive."

"Sir, are you suggesting we split up?"

"I was under the assumption that was quite clear."

"I'm afraid we can't let you wander around unguarded, Sir."

"I do believe I am more capable of taking care of myself than you are." Rufus said with a chill in his voice. Then he stopped and turned with his hands clasped behind his back to look the brown-haired male over with a cold glare.

"But, Sir… I –"

"Arguing with me will cost you your life, Turk." Rufus warned with a frightening seriousness. "And I have no intention of wasting more time than necessary." Then he turned and commenced on his course while stating without further argument. "I have no desire to see either of you again until the good doctor is found. Is that understood?"

- - -

While Tseng and Rude both hovered around Reeve as he did his diagnostics, Reno continued to wander around like a child in a toy store, and spent long moments on each piece of machinery he came across. To say he was impressed would have been an understatement. In fact, he even entertained the thought that he might just marry Reeve one day. Of course, he wasn't actually serious about that.

But he was still impressed.

"Ya design all this stuff yerself?"

"No." Reeve answered without turning to acknowledge him. "I have a staff."

"Ah." Reno mused as he continued to look at the devices while keeping his hands in his pockets. "So, which one's are yours?"

"All of them."

_Huh?_ With a raised brow in confusion, Reno turned to stare at the back of the man for a moment while wondering what he meant.

"Thought ya said ya said they weren't."

"I said I didn't design all of them." Reeve answered casually, before he turned around to regard Reno for a moment. "That's not the same thing as owning them."

"Oh."

_Sorry fer not bein technical enough…_ Reno thought, with a shrug and returned to his observations.

"So, ya did'n design 'em all then…"

"No. But I did oversee the projects and participated in much of their design." Then Reeve pointed over to the section that was mostly populated by Cait Siths and other types of robotic machines, big and small. "Those over there are all my design." He explained a little further, with a slight sense of pride in his voice. "I suppose you could say they're more of a hobby for me than a job." After that, he turned his attention back to the device he was working on and started chattering away to Rude.

Nodding in understanding, Reno turned his attention over to Reeve's 'designs' with a slightly new interest. However, something more interesting caught Reno's attention shortly after that, and it started when Tseng's PHS rang, only it wasn't his usual PHS, causing the redhead to raise his brow in curiosity.

_Interestin…_ He thought, and then he decided it was best to make every attempt to keep his attention inconspicuous, as he listened in with his exceptional hearing when the man moved to the furthest corner and lowered his voice. Reno knew he probably shouldn't have been listening, but for some reason, he just couldn't help himself.

But when he finally overheard the context and noted how the Slender Turk stiffened slightly, like he was suddenly anxious, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious too. Then suddenly, he found himself looking down at his armlet that housed the Exit Materia, and then scanning his eyes over both Reeve and Rude, before settling on Tseng's back again with a bit of a dark shadow crossing over his eyes.

"Right… Gargoyle Island." He heard Tseng say as quietly as the man was capable of.

And before that, he heard the name Cloud.

- - -

Marcus moved quickly as he placed the chains back onto Cloud's wrists and neck, before pulling the length back into the walls to keep him from fighting. He was running out of time as the clone's pulse grew weaker by the second, and he found himself checking it repetitively.

Once he was satisfied with the way he had the filthy blonde securely in place, he took a quick and disturbing look at the trail of blood leading into the cell and then he gripped his fist into the top of Cloud's hair to hold his head upright. After that, he simply sat there, straddling the ex-Soldier's lap, with his fingers over the clone's pulse and stared at him emptily as he waited for it to just disappear.

And the second his goal was met, the sadistic blonde muttered out "Life," and found himself smiling with a rare and genuine satisfaction as the clone's life was restored with an uncontrollable scream that filled the dank and soundproof cell from the agony.

Oh, it was beautiful. Just fucking beautiful to watch the tears finally flow from that creature's eyes as they formed rivers and blended with the dirt on his cheeks, and Marcus found himself placing his hands on the man's face to see if it really was real as he smudged the saline fluid and the grime across the other blonde's face.

"Fuck, you're beautiful." Marcus whispered, as if he'd finally discovered what the word meant and giddily cupped Cloud's face to hold him stationary and in view.

The emptiness… The lack of hope… The lack of desire to live on… It was all just so… Beautiful.

- - -

"What?" Cid asked with a hushed voice, when Vincent held up his hand like he heard something. They had just entered the woods and were attempting to make sense out of which direction they should be following.

"I thought I heard something." Vincent answered in his usual manner, and then he relaxed his arm and placed Cloud's medallion in his pack while musing as he studied the surroundings. "A scream."


	17. Discord and Confusion

**17: Discord and Confusion**

* * *

Before attracting too much attention to himself as Tseng disconnected his PHS, Reno quickly turned back to Reeve's machines with a sudden lack of interest. But he made every attempt to hide that fact while the Wutain turned around and let out a stressed sigh before pursing his lips. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do, and he smoothed his hair back while he gave it some serious thought. 

Basically, the only thing Tseng really did know at that point was that he wanted to leave, more so than anything else. He wanted to go and help. But there was more to it, of course. It wasn't just the fact that he felt Vincent and Cid might need his help; it was the fact that it was one of Ten-ji's old facilities that Tseng was more than familiar with. Although he thought it had long been abandoned since the days of his youth. The terrain and location proved to be too much of a headache for his uncle that he felt it simply wasn't worth the trouble to maintain.

However, all of that only escalated the apprehension the slender Wutain felt at that moment. It was bad enough that he would be going against Rufus' orders and wishes by leaving to tend to his own business. Not to mention, Reno was under his watch.

Years ago, when Tseng was younger, he would have ignored all those concerns and just left. But he wasn't exactly the arrogant youth he once used to be. Shinra had grown on him, experience had taught him, and time had tamed him.

"Rude." Tseng suddenly said as the word unexpectedly cut through his own thoughts.

"Sir?" In his usual manner of respect, Rude turned to regard the man before standing at ease and waiting while Tseng put his PHS casually away.

Then the Wutain Turk simply bowed his head subtly, before he aloofly stated. "I'm afraid something has come up. I'll be requiring you to take charge during my absence." After that, he motioned his hand over to Reno and apologized for adding the extra burden of guard-duty on the man before bowing his head again and then taking his leave.

As far as Tseng was concerned at that moment, everything he'd learned could simply go to hell.

- - -

After Tseng stepped into the hall, he pulled out his PHS again to make a quick call back to Vincent to let him know he was on his way. Then with a reluctant sigh, he placed it in his pocket and pulled out his usual PHS to give Rufus a call.

He wasn't really sure what he was going to tell him though. But he was certain he could come up with something on the fly. Then again, maybe he could just say he'd found some possible leads that he'd like to look into himself. After all, there was nothing odd about that. He'd done it before.

Strangely enough though, Rufus wasn't answering, and the Turk wound up quirking a brow as he stepped into the elevator and hit the button for his destination.

Silently hoping to himself that Rufus wasn't secretly drinking again, Tseng let out another heavy sigh to relieve the stress he was feeling and felt it was his duty to, at the very least, inform Rufus' secretary that he would be taking one of the company helicopters on business. "Yes… Please let Rufus know when he comes back." He requested, after she told him he stepped out with two Turks, leaving him with nothing to be suspicious about, and plenty to wonder about.

- - -

Well, Reno couldn't help but find Tseng's sudden desire to leave interesting, to say the least, and turned his attention to the monitors in Reeve's adjacent office that was separated from his lab by a solid wall of glass. They were all prototypes for the new system Reeve wanted to implement due to all the security holes they were finding in their current system, but they were all operational and already set up around several sections of the building so Reeve could monitor their proficiency.

And from there, Reno watched the Leader of the Turks walk down the hall and enter the elevator as if there was nothing of concern on his mind while he carried what looked liked a very ordinary conversation, despite the fact that the man used two different phones. Then moments later, he watched him step out and make his way to the tarmac. All the while, Reeve and Rude continued with their discussion on what they were going to do about the hardly visible cameras they'd found.

"Hey…" Reno commented, casually, while nodding his head to Reeve's surveillance system. "These things work on the tarmac?"

"What's that?" Reeve asked, before he turned around to see the redhead staring at the monitors and putting his hands in his pocket while tapping his foot.

"The monitors… cameras, I mean… Ya got any set up on the tarmac?"

"Yes." Reeve replied, and grabbed the remote to switch one of the screens over. "We just had it set up last week."

As it turned out, Reeve really didn't find anything suspicious about Reno's interest in the monitors, and turned his attention back to Rude to continue with their brainstorming. But then again, Rude didn't find it suspicious either.

They might have been suspicious though, if they were actually paying attention to the attentive redhead that was more interested in studying the structure of which helicopter Tseng was starting up than the monitors actual ability to view the area.

"Ya would'n happen ta have any special features like… I dunno… a way to get in closer, would ya?"

"Of course." Reeve answered, once again completely convinced that Reno was nothing more than interested in the technology. Then he grabbed the control and handed it to the redhead while explaining how to use it, as Rude took a more inconspicuous interest in the technology they were discussing. "It's not fully functional yet, though." He further explained. "Rufus wants something a little more advanced. But these are only prototypes for now… We're hoping to have something quite advanced in the long run."

"Oh."

After that, Reeve turned his attention back to Rude, yet again, in hopes of coming up with a non-destructive method for finding and disabling the rest of the invading cameras.

Well, despite the fact that the helicopter was, indeed, impressive, there were some other findings of interest as well, like the fact that the far end of the passenger area was concealed by a cargo net with a few pilot's uniforms hanging behind it, leaving the left two seats practically invisible to the pilot. Even the co-pilot wouldn't have been able to view that area, assuming there was one.

_Hm…_

With another look around, Reno settled on the two men carrying on with their discussion, and decided it was probably time for a bathroom break.

- - -

"He said he wants us to wait." Vincent informed Cid after hanging up on Tseng for the second time. In turn, the request angered the old pilot somewhat at the fact that he felt waiting was wasting the precious time they could have been using to find Cloud faster. But Vincent's explanation soon calmed the man down enough to give him a small smidgen of faith. "He says he knows this island… There's a facility."

"Figures a Turk would know about something like that." Cid grumbled, and figured that if they were going to hold off on their pursuance for a while, then he might as well satiate his long-awaited nicotine fix by lighting his damn cigar. "What is it…? Another one of Hojo's fucking experimenting grounds?"

Shaking his head subtly, due to the fact that neither Shinra nor the Turks ever knew about it, Vincent merely stared ahead as the two men stepped through the paths and stopped when they came across a massacre of goblins and men. "It's abandoned… But he knows his way around it."

"Hmph." Cid grumbled, and then he shifted his weight over to one side as he squinted from the light and took a look around with a shake to his head. "So… Why didn't we see this thing from the air or when we came here with Cloud and that Avalanche gang?"

"Because it's underground." Vincent explained, and then he lowered his face into his mantle with the anticipation of hearing another earful about how dirty and nasty Shinra and the Turks were, even though they had nothing to do with it.

- - -

It wasn't often that President of Shinra entered the town of Gongaga. In fact, it was practically never. None of that bothered him though. The bitter glares and hateful snarls were things he'd always been accustomed to. In fact, in a twisted sort of way, it was something Rufus actually looked forward to. He figured if he couldn't make them all fear him, then hatred would most certainly suffice. After all, it basically had the same effect.

"I'm looking for a man named Ernsteid Furlow." He calmly informed. After that, he asked to see the selection of firearms as he stood at the counter of the local Weapon's shop. Then he lifted the gun he was handed and stared down the barrel of it with a bit of an unimpressed frown at its design. "I understand he's taken up residence here."

"Never heard of him." The man answered, and placed the gun down on the counter after it was handed back to him.

"Really." With his brow cocked, Rufus stared at the man with a cold calculation in his eyes while placing a cigarette in his mouth. Then he lit it, after the man told him there was no smoking in his shop, and took a drag before stating. "I'm sure you'll make an exception."

However, to Rufus' surprise, the man merely smirked back at him and then said something rather peculiar. "You had me fooled." He said with a bit of a sarcastic snort. "I almost thought you were the real thing."

- - -

"Thanks so much for watching her on short notice, Tifa… I really appreciate it."

"It's okay." Tifa responded, as Elena let go of her daughter's hand to let her run straight to the crayons and paper. "She's always a joy to have around."

With a nostalgic smile, Elena looked at her daughter like she almost didn't want to be separated from her, or at the very least, wasn't ready to be after everything that happened. "You like kids, don't you?"

"Mm-hm." Tifa replied, with a subtle bite to her bottom lip, before a slight daze washed across her eyes, and then she shook her head and asked. "So, how's Reno?" To avoid having to go any further with that conversation. After that, she settled her attention on Jared who stiffened up slightly at the mention of the redhead's name as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him.

"He's actually doing pretty good." Elena explained, and then she went on to tell her that he seemed to be remembering a few things, even though it was nothing of important relevance yet. But she still felt it was progress. She also pointed out that she felt he actually remembered them all in a strange sort of way; he just couldn't remember how he knew them. "He's comfortable around those of us that were his friends… It's like he knows who he was close to and who he wasn't… But it's frustrating."

Understanding from her own experiences with Cloud, Tifa nodded subtly and then tilted her head before offering some words of comfort and encouragement

- - -

As he stood there, looking out the window of his Kalm-located office at the growing daylight, Ten-ji tapped his ring on his cup and then let out a tired sigh. It was a mess. Everything was a mess, and he needed some way of rectifying it quickly. And for the third time in the last five minutes, he lifted his PHS back into his view and shook his head while he hit the speed-dial to Marcus' number once more.

And just like the other three times, Marcus never answered.

"Ten-ji." Darius interrupted quietly, knowing the man was finally at his wit's end. But before continuing, he waited for the man's distant reply before informing him that "I've just dispatched three loaded choppers to Goblin Island." Then he noted his Boss' solemn stance and added compassionately. "He's alive, Ten-ji."

"Then why isn't he answering?"

Unfortunately, Darius didn't have an answer to that question. All he really did know was that he wasn't willing to make any kind of speculation without having any facts, which was something he felt Ten-ji was always good at until just recently.

- - -

Not even thirty minutes had passed before Jared wound up overhearing the conversation of a lifetime while Elena ordered them both a coffee at the small café across from the Seventh Heaven, and just as she was about to bring them back to the table, the hazel-eyed Turk had bolted out the door in pursuance.

"Jared!" Elena yelled as she dropped both cups and commenced on her own chase as well. "What the hell are you doing?"

"They mentioned Landslide!" He yelled back, without stopping as he turned into the alleyway to remain on their heals.

"So you confronted them?"

"What? No!" He answered back. However, he didn't exactly have the time or the breath to explain to her that they were standing right beside him without realising it when they mentioned their organisation. It wasn't until one of them turned to see a Turk standing right there, that they ran out the door, causing him to naturally run after them.

Over fences and through abandoned homes and warehouses, they pursued, until they were at the outskirts of what used to be the old Midgar region. Thankful that their targets hadn't chosen a populated area, they readied their guns and began to open fire. But the rubble of the old ruins proved to be more of an obstacle than anything else, protecting the enemy from their attempts to bring them down.

"Damn it!" Elena yelled when she was finally frustrated by their lack of success. Then she rummaged through her pack for her Loco Weeds and Vagyrisk Claws in hopes of not only confusing them but also in hopes of petrifying one or more of them enough to slow them down and maybe even stop them all together.

- - -

Not only was Rude nervous because of Reno's sudden disappearing act, he was distraught. It took about ten minutes before he and Reeve finally got suspicious, and then after that, they made the discovery that Reno had, somehow, managed to slip away unnoticed. He couldn't have gone too far though, considering there was no way for him to leave the building. But that didn't change the fact that they were coming up with nothing during their search.

To top things off, Tseng seemed to have either shut off his PHS or was out of range. However, that didn't exactly explain why there was no response on the radio, or even why the ELT or tracking system on the chopper he took seemed to be malfunctioning. But given the circumstances, Rude highly doubted it was actually malfunctioning and wound up swiping the palm of his hand over his bald head with a sudden desire to not be in the situation he was seemingly in.

And as if that wasn't bad enough to the large Turk, Rufus and the Turks he'd left with also appeared to have shut off their systems, either that, or they were hopefully out of range. He highly doubted the latter though, and abruptly wondered what the hell was going on, and why he was suddenly so clueless about it all.

"…" Was about the best he could come up with, as Reeve chattered away with endless possibilities, all in high hopes, which progressively drove the dark-skinned Turk nearly mad while he tried to order his thoughts and priorities without interruption.

Basically, at that point, he honestly didn't think things could get much worse.

- - -

By the time Elena got Jared to move out of the way and cast her items on the men they were chasing, she succeeded in getting one of them to shoot the other under the influence of confusion, as Jared shot the second one before Elena wound up getting shot herself. Luckily though, the Vagyrisk Claw hit the third man and petrified him solid, which finally rewarded them with a captive. They only hoped it was one worthy of capture.

"We can't talk to him like that!" Jared yelled at her, when he tapped his gun on the forehead of the petrified male before sneering at her like she was an idiot.

"Really?" Elena fired back angrily. "Thanks for the info! Genius!"

However, luckily for Elena, talking to the person then and there wasn't exactly her plan to begin with anyway. She felt she would have had better success if they took him back to Shinra and questioned him there instead. That didn't stop them from arguing though, since Jared rarely ever saw anything the same way anyone else did. But then again, neither did Elena, which led them both into a stubborn battle of wills that probably would have gone nowhere if it weren't for her PHS suddenly cutting them off.

"Hang on a second!" She growled at the sandy-haired Turk, to get him to shut up. Then she hit the receive button on her phone and hesitated before answering, long enough to inform him. "I have a call!"

Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a call that made the situation any better.

"What do you mean you've lost him?" She asked with an inability to hide her disbelief as she almost freaked out while Rude informed her of the situation. "What? Where the hell did they all go?"

"…"

"Gaia…"

With a frustrated shake to her head, Elena hung up the PHS and looked at Jared as if the whole morning had, somehow, become his fault before informing him they had to return to Shinra immediately. Apparently, Three Turks, one of them being Tseng, Rufus, and Reno had all managed to disappear without a trace in only a matter of hours.

"What? How the hell did that happen?" Jared asked, as if she was supposed to know all the flipping answers, even though she'd been with him the whole time.

"How the hell would I know?" She growled back, and then she waved her hand at the petrified male and ordered Jared to bring him along with an incredible stress to her tone before tossing a timed meteor grenade behind her to cover up the evidence of the mess they made.

At that point, she wasn't really concerned about the new mess she was making…

Or even the questions that could arise from such an act.

- - -

It didn't take Tseng very long to catch up to Vincent and Cid since they hadn't wandered very far from their landing zone. But just as they met up, they heard the sound of three more choppers which Tseng immediately pointed out didn't belong to Shinra, causing the old pilot to curse loudly before throwing his cigar to the ground and stamping on it to put it out. Luckily for all three of them though, the helicopters were coming in on the opposite end of the island from where Cid and Tseng had landed, keeping their presence relatively concealed.

"We'd better get a move-on." Tseng mentioned with an assuring nod. Then he started to lead the way as he pointed out. "They're landing near the facility."

"Well isn't that just fucking great!" After letting out his initial nuance of grumbling, Cid rested his lance against his shoulder and commenced to follow the Turk leader with a growing disquiet as the adrenaline literally started to pump through his system in anticipation of what was to come.

All the while, Vincent simply stood back and watched them both start walking before he turned his attention down to Cid's cigar and took a moment to bury it better, just in case. Then he decided he'd follow closely behind without saying a single word.

- - -

Reno waited until Tseng had completely shut the engines down and left, before coming out of his hiding place to make his way to the facility he was also familiar with. However, before exiting the chopper, he felt it wouldn't be such a bad idea to pick the lock on the small weapon's cabinet to see what he could find of use in there.

Most of the cabinet's contents were guns, rifles, and blades of varying lengths, which he wound up completely bypassing as he set his attention on a strange looking, metal, rod with a stylishly designed black grip, and a small strap at the end of the handle. For some strange reason, he couldn't seem to bring himself to overlook it and was unable to resist the urge to find out what it was.

There was something about it that was disturbingly familiar to him, and he found himself oddly drawn to having to pick it up and study it.

-

"_It's Reno now… Isn't it?" _

"_Have you ever been on the receiving end of this?" _

"_I wonder what it feels like."_

-

That wasn't the only thing that flashed through his mind though. There were several times he'd used a device much like the one he was holding, and they all seemed to flash through his head as if he were under assault. And when he hit the button that emitted a small spark, even more flashed through his mind, and he found himself unconsciously tapping the length of the rod lightly against his forehead as he tried to make sense out of the visions he was seeing. There were people involved. People like…

Cloud.

With a sudden grimace as if he'd just been stabbed, he instinctively brought his hand to cover the wound he received from that very named ex-Soldier at Sector 7, and lifted his shirt to look at the threatening scar left in its wake.

"Fuck me." He mumbled as it came out in an almost choked breath, and then he turned his attention back to the rod as everything suddenly seemed to fall into place for him.

"FUCK!"

At that, he pushed himself quickly to his feet and practically stumbled away with nothing but the rod in his hand. But before he got more than a foot's distance, he remembered that he'd probably need a little more than just the rod and pulled the strap over his wrist in a rush before nearly falling into the cabinet to grab a .50 calibre handgun for better protection. After all, from the distant sound of helicopters landing, he was pretty sure he'd be needing it.

- - -

"How could you lose him?"

"…"

As Elena followed the big Turk with her neck cranked as much as possible, she found herself unable to to stop from asking nearly every question that popped into her head. "Did you ask Erryn?"

"Yes."

"Well… What about the pub on the first floor?"

"I looked twice… No one had seen him."

"Well, he couldn't have gotten far." She continued as thoughts were often worked out better for her verbally. "He's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Elena." Rude started with a sharp edge, hoping he could get her to be quiet for a moment so he could collect his thoughts without offending her. Then he took a deep breath and adjusted his shades before attempting to handle her with more tact. "I've already considered all of those options."

"Sorry…" She muttered, while continuing to trail behind him as if she was attached. "I'm just trying to help."

"I know." He said as calmly as he could, and then he repeated it before adding. "I appreciate it."

She was well-aware of the stress the man was under, and did her best to bite back on the rest of her more obvious suggestions. After all, if anyone knew where to find Reno, Rude was probably the best bet since he knew the redhead better than anybody else. Not to mention that if he didn't find him before Rufus got back…

Well, she didn't really want to think about that.

But it was near impossible for her to remain silent forever, and decided she'd give the suggestions another go. "He's bound to return to the apartment sometime, isn't he?"

At that point, Rude didn't really know anything, so he decided he'd stick with his typical answer which was basically no more than his usual silence. But maybe she was onto something. After all it really didn't take Reno very long to get bored and return home, or at the very least, to the pub. "Call Jared and tell him to steak out the pub in case Reno decides to unwind after his adventure."

"He'll listen better to you." She mentioned, not meaning to be insubordinate, but slightly hoping she wouldn't have to deal with him again so soon as she explained. "He doesn't like me."

"He doesn't like anyone." Rude pointed out, and then he added under his breath with a slight agitation. "And I don't like him."

"Oh, I see." Elena playfully mused to try and lighten up the atmosphere a little. "You want me to call him because _you_ don't want to have to talk to him… Right?"

"…"

"Am I right?" She jabbed again, to try and give it another go at lightening up the man's mood again, and then she stuck her tongue in her cheek while pulling out her PHS to give the order. "I know I'm right."

"Let's wait in his apartment." Rude finally said after she called Jarred in the interrogation room to change his orders. Then he lightly nudged her bicep with his elbow to let her know he appreciated her efforts before placing his hand on her shoulder to passively guide her to the elevators.

- - -

"The place is guarded like a Gaiadamned fortress." Cid piped up, under his breath, while the three of them stayed concealed behind the bushes and studied the number of men at the grounds of the facility. "There ain't no way we're gonna get in there."

"You've fought greater odds before." Tseng pointed out with a slight smirk. Then he opened up the pack he'd brought with him and showed the old pilot the small arsenal he brought along while Vincent continued to look ahead and study the grounds.

After a short snort from Cid, he moved the weapons about in curiosity and then chuckled quietly to himself while suspecting some of those weapons were loaded with the Meteor Shinra promised to never use again, even though everyone knew that they did. "I bet I shouldn't be too surprised if I see any white flashes today, eh?"

With a quirk to his brow, Tseng simply turned to the old pilot and commented on the fact that he'd be more than willing to overlook the liquor cabinet's contents on the Highwind when everything was over if, say, Cid were to decide he never saw anything questionable that day.

- - -

"We've got company." Marcus lightly said to the woman standing beside him as he stood outside the entrance near the facility. It was right after he hung up on Ten-ji to let him know he was fine, and without even lifting his eyes from the small PHS in his hand, he knew what was going on. It was a slight little quirk he'd inherited from the Mako treatments his Boss ordered to make him more like Rufus. But his enhanced senses and strengths were things he liked to keep to himself, since he felt it actually gave him an advantage to keep those facts from being known.

"What?" Asked the woman, as she looked around and saw nothing.

"From the woods to the right." He muttered. Then he smirked lightly before looking at the woman and telling her with a cold glare in his eyes. "I expect you and your _men_ will be able to take care of it, since there are only three of them."

"But I don't see anything."

"That's _fascinating_." He hissed. After that, he snorted at her in disgust, and then he began undoing the buttons on his black shirt before smirking again at something that seemed to amuse only him. Then he coldly informed her. "If any of them get into the facility, you'd better hope it's because you and your men are dead."

"Understood, Sir." Still not really knowing what was going on or even if there was any substance to what he was saying, she motioned to the men nearby to keep watch, just in case. Once that was done, she turned to regard the man once more, but he'd apparently disappeared back into the facility without her even noticing.

- - -

The sound of gunfire and yelling caught Reno's attention as he crept around the woods to the back of the facility. But it wasn't enough for him to want to find out what was going on, and in a strange sort of way, he hoped Tseng would be able to handle himself with whomever it was he'd met up with. However, he couldn't really let himself worry too much about that at the moment, since he had a more a important agenda in mind as he wandered about the grounds and slowly remembered the layout of the facility below him.

He'd been there with Aldrich, or better yet, it was when the man went by Haldric. It was before he wore the patch over his eye. Though he couldn't seem to recall why they were there at the time; he could only recall that they _were_ there and how they'd gotten there. It was around when Darius first found them. They were in their early teens and on the streets, and when Reno tried to swindle the man away from his cash, the man showed an interest in their talents, despite the fact that he caught them, and offered them a so-called 'legitimate' way to earn some money by working for his Boss as weapon's dealers for Sector 7.

None of it was either here nor there though, especially when he found the area he was looking for and slowly knelt down to move the leaves and dirt out of the way.

-

"_They put this in as an escape route just a little over a year ago… Not many people know about it."_

-

"Heh…" Reno muttered quietly to himself. "Guess if ya'd been able ta see the future, ya never would'a told us about this… Huh, Darius?"

With a subtle shake to his head, he continued to push the loose ground aside while silently cursing over the fact that the exit appeared as though it hadn't been used in sometime, making his job a little harder than he'd hoped. But he suddenly realized it shouldn't have been that big of a deal. After all, he had the Exit Materia he should have been aware of from the start, and called himself an idiot for forgetting about that priceless little fact.

"Yer a fuckin idiot, Man." He muttered with a shake to his head, and then he stood up to stretch his legs out before considering what was below him and where he wanted to wind up. Best to play it safe though, and he decided he was only going to go as far as getting into the facility below where he was standing instead of risking his life by trying to get fancy. He could always make his way on foot once he was in anyway and he muttered out "Exit" after he felt secure enough that he wasn't going to wind up somewhere in the ground.

Once he was inside and truly thankful for the success of his endeavour, he grinned a little cockily to himself and tapped his shoulder with the EMR while trying to grab his bearings and figure out which way he wanted to go. It didn't take too long for him to decide though. The sudden sound of a weak groan helped him to zero in on the weak and shaky breath that accompanied it.

"I owe ya one." He reminded himself, as a dark flash of blue crossed his eyes. After all, if there was any substance to the flashes he had in the helicopter, not only did the strange blonde stab him twice, he'd also saved his life on several occasions too. Not to mention, he was also there for him when he needed to get away from Marcus. "An I ain't gonna let ya down this time."

With that in mind, he started making his way through the crumbling halls in the best direction he could think of in order to bring himself closer to the sound he was focusing on, as the sound of the struggle that was going on outside finally entered the facility at the far end from where Reno was making his way. But instead of making him feel comfortable about the thought of possibly having some aid, he found himself wanting to make haste even more so in order to avoid them.

He honestly wasn't in the mood to have to explain how he'd gotten there or even why, especially not to Tseng.

- - -

As it turned out, the man that worked behind the counter of the Weapons shop wound up being the exact man Rufus was looking for, and to make matters even more interesting, he seemed to think Rufus' was a man named Marcus. Well, he wasn't about to burst anyone's bubble over a simple lack of facts, and decided he'd play along in hopes of getting the information he was looking for, namely his birth records.

"I must admit, I'm a little surprised to see you here. I always thought you weren't interested in anything to do with your origin." The doctor commented, as he took him to his small medical office near the center of town, and surprising Rufus slightly at the comment, considering it was the Shinra birth records he'd asked to see.

As Rufus nodded in agreement, he simply explained that he'd been wanting to come by for some time, but there was never an opportune moment for him before. Then he commented that he certainly wouldn't mind if he could see the records, if it was at all possible. All the while, he managed to avoid asking the question as to how the doctor seemed to know him so well.

"Well, you know me…" The Doctor said with an impish smile. "I don't like to throw stuff away."

"How lucky of me."

With a slight chuckle, the man unlocked the door to the back of his office where he kept all his archives and continued to ramble on as Rufus followed quietly in hopes that his silence wouldn't give him away. "Ah… Here it is." He said with a slight cheeriness. Then he paused with a strange seriousness, and looked the man over for a moment as a sudden thought hit him. "May I ask what's with the sudden interest?"

"There are some things that don't add up for me." Rufus replied, while he kept his eyes locked darkly on the man. Then he made an attempt at acting somewhat agreeable, and added as an explanation. "I was hoping you'd be able to answer some questions I have."

Chuckling a little sarcastically at the thought of anything _adding _up when it was related to Shinra, Doctor Furlow shook his head and handed Rufus the files. But before he did that, he hesitated a little and looked Rufus over with narrowed eyes again. "Ten-ji doesn't know you're here, does he?"

- - -

There were three people on his way, and thanks to the EMR he took, he was able to deal with them quietly and without a mess, despite the fact that there was a burning smell left in its wake that mixed unpleasantly with the already existing, dank and stale, air.

That wasn't important to him though. What was important was what he was faced with on the other side of the bars he standing in front of.

"Friends of enemies." He muttered lightly to himself. Then he lightly shook his head at the unconscious form, so different from what he met in Wutai, and started digging around in his pocket to find something to pick the lock with.

Then, the moment he got the cell-door open, he wasted no time at running straight to the ex-Soldier to undo the chains as quickly as he could. "I'm gonna get ya outta here." He whispered, with a worried breath, when the ragged blonde stirred and weakly grimaced.

"Reno…" Cloud mumbled feebly, as if he were half-asleep and in some sort of dream. However it was more like a torturous nightmare, if it really wasn't real, and he kept his eyes closed in hopes of hanging on to a positive vision.

"Yeah… It's me… I'm gonna help ya." He muttered as he pulled the blonde forward to try and lift him after releasing him from the constraints.

"You couldn't help yourself from a tamed Cactuar…"

After an unimpressed snort at Cloud's barely audible insult, he noticed the blood on the wall behind the man, and then he moved his hand away to see the blood on it as well. "Shit…" Then in a slight panic that he managed to control, he started to tear Cloud's shirt to assess the damage and noticed the bullet wound in the back of the blonde's shoulder. Judging by the sickly-pale tone and the weakened movements, along with the wound that was practically running dry, he couldn't help but think the younger man should have been dead and wondered how in the hell he was still alive. "Fuck."

"No…" Cloud mumbled when Reno pushed him back a bit before searching his own pockets for some Potions to give to him. "Not now…"

"Hm?" With shaky hands, the redhead fumbled clumsily with the small vial as he panicked to get it open as fast as he could. "Fuck… Stay with me, Cloud."

"Dunwannuh… Tired…"

"No yer not, ya dumbass." Reno chastised with clenched teeth. Then he cupped his hand behind the blonde's neck to support it before bringing the vial to his mouth while praying he could get him to take it. "C'mon… drink this…"

"Jusss lemme die…"

"Fer fuck's sake, Cloud." Reno growled, as he gripped his hand more forcefully into the back of the blonde's neck. "Ya never let me die when I wanted to! So, what the fuck makes ya think I'm gonna let you!?" Then he practically forced the opening into the blonde's mouth and dumped it before placing his hand over the man's mouth to keep him from spitting it back out. "Now, Fuckin swallow it!" He yelled, when the blonde refused to, and practically climbed on top of him before roughly jabbing his knee into his side to get him to cooperate. "I said fuckin swallow it, ya stupid piece'a shit!"

"Wonderful bedside manner you have there, Reno." Came the sudden sound of Marcus' voice that cut through the air like a knife.

"Get the fuck away from me!"

Suddenly ignoring the fact that Cloud was basically choking on the potion he rammed down his throat, Reno found himself with his gun aimed threateningly at the madcap psycho quicker than he could even think about it.

"Barrier." Marcus said clearly and casually. Then he smirked at Reno before turning his almost dazed attention over to Cloud. "You've ruined my fun."

With a disbelieving snort, Reno grabbed onto Cloud's collar to pull him more protectively toward him while ignoring the grimacing complaints from the blonde, in hopes of keeping Marcus as far away from him as possible. "What the hell did you do to him!?"

"I think you should be more worried about what Rufus will do to him." Marcus answered, as he took a daring step forward. Then he went on to tauntingly explain why Cloud was in jail for five years, and how it all narrowed down to the fact that it was because Cloud couldn't keep his hands off of him and Reno couldn't stay away. "Honestly, Reno… How do you think that makes Rufus feel?"

"Shut up!" Reno yelled and winced as another flash ran through his head while he pulled the safety back. "You don't know fuck-all!"

"Judging by your expression… I know more than you."

"Shootim… Reno…" Cloud mumbled, as a slight amount of strength came back to him.

"Oh yes… That's right… Listen to the one who likes to take advantage of you." Then with a sneer, Marcus adjusted the sleeve of the white coat he'd changed into before coming down to make sure Cloud was still in a state of being barely alive. "For all you know he could be telling you to shoot me so he could have you all to himself."

"What the hell are ya talkin about?"

"You have no idea who I am." Marcus warned with narrowed eyes. "He was in jail because of you; He was tortured and drugged for five years, Reno. In fact, he would have been left to rot there if it hadn't been for Marcus taking sympathy on him and letting him out."

"You shut the fuck up!" Reno yelled, and pointed his gun more fiercely at him. "_You're_ Marcus!"

"Am I?" With a stoic and serious expression, Marcus kept his eyes inexpressively on the redhead and continued. "Perhaps if you dig a little deeper into your own memories you'd remember the experience we shared after your little escapade with that whore."

"S'not Rufusss."

"SHUT UP! Shut up…! Both of you!"

He suddenly couldn't hold off the assault of memories where Rufus hit him hard enough to send him flying into a glass table over him and Cloud and then threatening him with a gun in the President's office. As a result he wound up rocking and gripping onto Cloud tighter while tapping the gun against his head in a manner to convince himself it was all a lie, encouraging Marcus to take another testing step forward. But Reno hadn't completely drowned in his thoughts just yet, and just as quickly as Marcus moved, the gun was back at him as a threat not to come any closer.

"QUIT PLAYING WITH MY HEAD!"

- - -

Was it possible? Could that have been Reno's voice?

After tackling an unknown number of men on the grounds outside and then having to deal with random groups of men on the inside, Cid, Vincent, and Tseng had definitely seen better days. But despite their ragged conditions of varying phases, there was no way any one of them could have missed a shout that escalated into further demands and pleas as it travelled through the stifling air of the endless corridors about them.

But it couldn't have been Reno. That simply wasn't possible.

After all, there was no way he could have left the Shinra building.

Was there?

With the sudden confusion of thoughts running through Tseng's head, he found himself having to give it a shake, before he looked over to Vincent and quirked his brow in question. But why was he questioning Vincent? The man probably knew just as much as he did at that point.

"Cid." Vincent finally said, to break their focus on the continuing yelling, and when the old pilot responded with a nod and a swipe under his nose with his forearm, Vincent requested. "Go get the Highwind… Bring it here."

After the pilot nodded again as a response, Tseng gave the man a handful of grenades and a gun, on account of the man looking like he may not have been up to much more physical action for the next little while, and then he explained. "Just in case."

Well, it may not have been in Cid's nature to admit he might need the extra help should he run into any unexpected trouble, but he certainly wasn't about to make the Head of the Turks feel bad by turning down the offer. So, he took what was handed to him and mumbled something about him probably not going to need them but "Thanks anyway," and then he made his way back out and toward the Highwind, leaving Tseng and Vincent to try and figure out which direction Reno's frantic yelling was coming from, assuming it _was_ Reno.

- - -

He'd heard enough. However, it might not have gone as far as it did if the doctor hadn't started getting suspicious about his questions. But it was too late for him to stop. He'd opened a door he couldn't seem to close and started walking down a hall he simply couldn't stop walking through.

He'd expected to find proof of a clone, or even some stranger that had his appearance modified at best. But no. It was far worse than that. What he found was a brother; a twin. And he suddenly didn't know what to think about any of it.

The Doctor mentioned they were kidnapped when they were somewhere in between the ages of one and two, and then held for ransom by a small, unknown, underground group of terrorists at the time. But President Shinra decided he didn't really need _two_ sons to carry on his legacy, and therefore decided that he was only going to pay half the ransom in order to retrieve only one of the boys.

However, he made it quite clear that he wanted the first-born son, Marcus, for traditional purposes. Then, when the kidnappers asked him what he expected them to do with the other one, he simply told them to dispose of him. As it turned out, President Shinra felt that if the men were heartless enough to kidnap two small children, they shouldn't have had any problems with disposing of one or even both of them either.

But as fate would have it, there was a third player in the market, and he decided that he would offer the terrorists close to the full ransom they were asking for both of the children if they would consider giving Boris the child he wasn't asking for and giving him the first-born instead. However, he'd hidden that fact from Marcus and convinced the child he was never wanted. There was really no plan in mind at the time though, although it was beginning to brew. The deal was simply made out of spite towards Shinra.

But that wasn't the worst thing Rufus had ever heard before, and he wasn't really shocked about it either. After all, the man was talking about his father, President Shinra, and as far as Ten-ji went, he simply didn't know anything about that. It actually seemed like a fairly mild thing for Rufus' father to do in comparison to everything else the man had done to him. In fact, in a sickening sort of way, it began to clear a lot of things up for the Shinra heir. Questions that never got answered, and other strange things done and said that never made sense, suddenly did.

No. The worst part of everything he'd heard was that it was _Tseng_ who'd collected him from the terrorists, meaning that _Tseng _had known about it the whole time and never said a damn word about any of it. And from the looks of things, he never had any plans of saying anything about it either.

_Well_… Rufus thought to himself as he placed the files onto Dr. Furlow's desk and regarded the man, as he sat properly in his chair, once more. _I suppose Tseng and I will have to have a word when I return._

Then he noticed the man's tie was out of place and knelt down in front of him to straighten it out before straightening out his shirt as well. After that, he grabbed the thin wire he used to strangle the man to death with and placed it casually in his pocket before grabbing the files and walking out to meet with his Turks.

- - -

The holding cells of Ten-ji's facility couldn't have been a bigger mess than what it was turning into. Reno clung to Cloud in a corner with his gun pointed at the Barrier-protected maniac, who was having too much fun messing with his head, and also had a gun pointing at him. Cloud barely had enough energy to move and simply had to listen to most of it with the frustration over not being able to do anything about it. Vincent passed out when part of the overhead structure landed on him from above, after he pushed Tseng out of the way and cast Barrier on him, when a grenade was thrown near them. And Tseng stood there with his gun aimed at three men who had him cornered.

All the while, everyone yelled at everyone else to drop their guns, except for Marcus. He knew he was hitting a chord in the redhead and just couldn't stop himself. With each new wince and abrupt shake to Reno's head, he knew he was digging deeper under the surface and confusing the man even more than he already was. He even went so far as to tell him that Ren made a deal with Marcus to go after Cloud, and there he was, going after Cloud.

Just like he agreed he would do.

"You have no loyalties, Reno."

"I told you to fucking shut up!"

It wasn't so much that Reno was afraid to shoot at the man anymore. It was the fact that the asshole kept recasting Barrier on himself, and even though Reno was somewhere in the world between the 'here and there', and possibly quite far from where he was physically supposed to be, he was still smart enough to know he'd only be wasting valuable bullets if he didn't wait for an opportune moment.

In the meantime, Tseng could only hope that the Barrier Vincent cast on him was going to last long enough for him to get out of the corner he was finding himself in, as he took every chance to fire at the enemy. And with more of a stroke of luck than skill, he found himself down to two.

However, with all the excitement going on, no one had even bothered to pay much mind to the sudden convulsions that began to take over Vincent. They started out slow and subtle, barely noticeable. But they escalated into something no one was really ready for, or even expecting.

That was, of course, until the air filled with a horrifying shriek when the beast within Vincent finally awoke to the _Chaos_ it was surrounded by.

Naturally, Reno was the first to freak out at whatever the fuck that thing was as Marcus stumbled and shot Cloud in the other shoulder by accident, causing Reno to freak out even more and fire back without any success. The act of which, caused Chaos to react over the loud noises and start on its rampage of the flesh-ripping and meat-eating extravaganza as more men entered the hall to simply meet their doom instead of helping.

About the only one that got smart at that point was probably Marcus, as he dropped one of the Meteor-grenades on purpose and then shot at Tseng as the Barrier wore off of the man. Then he turned with a cocked brow and smiled at Reno before muttering out "Exit."

After that, the next thing to follow was Chaos going straight for Tseng as the Turk stumbled to the floor, and then mysteriously vanishing, along with Tseng. All of this in turn, left Reno to freak out a little more over the fact that he had no fucking clue over what the hell just happened, or even why it was happening. Not to mention, a monster had just stolen Tseng, Cloud was shot again, and he was left there with a fucking active grenade at his feet.


	18. Concordance

**Chapter 18: Concordance**

* * *

Sorry for the long wait. I wound up injuring my shoulder and couldn't type for over a week, and it kind of messed me up a bit as to where I was at in this chapter. Hopefully I got all the kinks out and it streamlined all right though.

* * *

He had fifteen seconds, maybe thirty; he wasn't sure. His thoughts ran wild, and in a panic, as he clung to Cloud and assessed the massacre he was surrounded by. It all happened so fast, and he was still in a state of shock. He was left alone, with Cloud, and he had no idea what the hell just happened, or even where everyone had gone. 

Gaia…

Was Tseng dead? Did he just die?

He honestly didn't know. All he did know was that he knew what he saw, and what he saw was that thing tearing nearly everything apart in its path in a matter of seconds with nothing but a blood-bath in its wake.

But there were more pressing matters, he realized, as he snapped back to what was more important. He was covered in Cloud's blood, there was a grenade at their feet, and despite Cloud's frail-looking body at that moment, the man was too heavy to carry if he was going to get out of there fast.

He could have used the magnetic field from the EMR in hopes it would protect them both, and he just might of when he was down to five, maybe twenty seconds. But he didn't. He also could have just left Cloud there, like the man muttered for him to do.

"Sssafeyerssself…" Was what he said, barely able to get the words above a whisper as his head helplessly lulled to the side. But Reno couldn't do that. He didn't go through all that trouble to save the man simply to leave him to die in the end.

"I ain't leavin ya." He retaliated, with a choke to his words, as he pulled the man into a more protective embrace and rested his cheek against his cool and clammy head. He couldn't bring himself to just let the man perish without trying, and if it had to come to that, then it wasn't going to be alone.

What was his own life worth to him anyway? It was nothing but a legacy of lies and confusion as far as he was concerned and from what he was finding out. It was a legacy of things broken and lost. Nothing was making any sense to the man. His own memories were shattered, and when they came to him, they were nothing but reminders of failures, abuse, and destruction. It was almost like he existed to simply be used and to live in servitude.

But he was down to two, maybe seventeen seconds, leaving him with not much more time to waste on self-pity or thoughts that were going nowhere. It was at that point that he sighed while wrapping his arms even more apprehensively around the waning blonde, and stared blankly at the armlet around his own wrist.

Why it didn't cross his mind earlier was beyond even trying to think about it, and suddenly not caring, because they were going to die anyway, he muttered out "Exit" with his eyes shut tight and decided to let fate decide where they were going to wind up.

- - -

"Holy Mother of…"

When Cid had just gotten to the Highwind, he saw something he probably would have liked to brush off as nothing more than a hallucination. But unfortunately, the man knew better than that, and what he saw was something frightfully bearing the resemblance to Chaos on the grounds outside of the facility, appearing out of nowhere, with its claws gripped into what could have very well been Tseng, and then vanishing into thin air again.

With a sudden wash of dread, the old pilot found himself realising that things may not have gone as planned, and that he may have been witnessing a slight glimpse of things going about as wrong as they could possibly go. That was not good, nor was it something he really wanted to admit to himself either.

The last thing Cid wanted to be involved in was the death of a fucking Turk. Not to mention, it wasn't just _any _Turk. It was the head of the Gaiadamned department and Rufus' number one consultant and confident. He may have not cared years ago. After all, it was different when he thought the world was ending and he barely knew anyone under the employment of Shinra. But that was then. That was when he couldn't really say that the aloof and dry-humoured Turk had grown on him, nor did he have anything to look forward to back then. Everything was taken away from him, namely the skies. But things had changed. He had everything that was important to him restored, and he found he'd actually grown fond of the slender Wutain, despite his reclusive nature, leaving him with so much more to lose if things were to go wrong.

"That fucking Vincent." He mumbled to himself, as he tossed his cigar to the ground and frowned at the thought of where he might have gone or even how he'd manage to track him without any means of a trail to follow. Of course, he knew it wasn't the ex-Turk's fault, but it sure as hell felt good to pass the blame onto something he could point the finger at during that moment.

It wasn't always like that though, he reminded himself. Vincent used to have a certain amount of control over his limits, even though it wasn't by much. But, like all things tampered with by Hojo, whatever humanity he left in his subjects, eventually faded.

But that wasn't the worst of his problems, as he soon found out, and he wound up cursing again as he quickly shielded his eyes from a sudden white flash that burst out of a small portion of the ground where the facility most-likely _used _to be.

"Fuck me…"

Now it wasn't just one Turk he had to worry about, because he sure as hell didn't see Reno or Cloud anywhere from the flat elevation where he chose to initially land, and as a result of sudden stress, he pulled out another cigar and almost lit it before something else caught his attention and he moved to a more secluded location to watch Marcus and his men getting ready to leave the island.

- - -

It wasn't often that Elena panicked, or even Rude for that matter. Or, at least it hadn't been for a long time, and it wasn't often that they panicked the way they were panicking at that very moment.

While relentlessly chewing on her bottom lip, Elena placed her PHS back into her blazer pocket after answering to Jared telling her he just heard from someone at the bar that Rufus had returned and was on his way up to his office. "They said he didn't look too happy." He told her. In fact, the word "psycho-mode" was somewhere in that conversation. And with that revelation running through her head, she ran her hand through her hair haphazardly, causing the bangs to stand up in wayward directions and turned her worried attention over to Rude who simply shook his head as if he already knew.

"…"

He honestly didn't want to know though, and decided he wasn't even going to ask. Unfortunately, Elena operated on a completely different wavelength than Rude and blurted out in a panic. "Rufus is back!"

Well, if Rude decided he wanted to look on the bright side of things at that moment, he could have always said that he at least found Rufus and two of the missing Turks. It would have been nice to say it was one mystery solved for the day, but unfortunately, it wasn't exactly the one that he wanted to solve first.

No. It was one that could very well make the rest of his life a living hell if he didn't solve the other one first.

In fact, he was sure they were both so screwed over that little bit of information that he suddenly decided they'd have to get one hell of a move-on on trying to find that trouble-making redhead before Rufus found out he was missing. As a result, he grabbed Elena by the arm and started dragging her toward the door while trying to keep his cool as he adjusted his tie with the other hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To find Reno."

"Oh." Elena responded, not really able to come up with much more than that as she regained her footing and started to willingly follow the man in hopes that they could do just that. "He's going to kill us, you know…" She suddenly stated without thinking, as she trailed behind him like a lost pup and clung to his sleeve as if she felt he'd protect her if it came to that. "If we don't find him."

"He'll kill you for sure…" He answered, with a dry-sounding undertone before he put his hand over hers and jokingly added. "He might just wound me… Because Reno and I were friends, and I'm not a pretty blonde."

"Very funny." She spat back before pulling her hand free and smacking him on the arm in a manner that suggested she wasn't really impressed with his sudden bad taste in humour.

"…"

"We can't just not tell him."

"I'm hoping we won't have to do that…" He answered, and then he turned to her before opening the door so he could remind her that they still had half a day to find him. Then in a manner to try and take his mind off the weight of the situation, he adjusted his jacket and brushed Elena's bang back down with a quick sweep of the hand and motioned for her to follow him as he walked out of the apartment while Elena followed to commence on their search.

- - -

There were about five of Ten-ji's men left alive on the grounds, leaving Marcus to angrily order them back to one of the choppers and get it started. He couldn't have cared less about any survivors within the facility and decided it was their own damn fault for leaving themselves behind.

Besides, it wasn't like the whole place was destroyed and there were two other choppers they were leaving for them to take advantage of, and with his hands in his coat pockets and his attire making him a near-complete replica of Rufus, he stormily stepped over the deceased with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

But he wasn't really angry. He was simply on a role and getting off on the intimidation he had over Ten-ji's pathetic peons. After all, if everything was at it appeared, it basically all went according to plan.

In fact, there was even the little bonus of taking Tseng out of the picture as well, which wasn't exactly part of that particular plan. But he sure as hell wasn't going to complain about that since it was something that had to be done anyway, nor did he doubt it would impress the asshole he worked for enough to see that he really did know what he was doing, even though his agenda really had nothing to do with satisfying that old wash-out.

And as far as that winged thing that tore all his men apart… Well, he didn't really care about that, and really had no intention of explaining that part to his boss either. He figured blaming it on Reno would have a far better outcome than telling that asshole what really happened. Besides, it was amusing at best, really, and it almost made him snicker when he recalled the look on Reno's face when it all happened.

Despite all that though, he continued to hide the inner smile he kept fighting off in favour of disguising it with a sneer as he rounded his Boss' men up and yelled at them for no particular reason other than getting his kicks out of it. All the while, he entertained himself with thoughts of the turmoil Reno going after Cloud was going to cause in his and Rufus' relationship, assuming the scrambled reject remembered he had the Exit Materia.

And if not…

Well…

He couldn't say he'd really be disappointed either way.

But besides all that, he cocked his brow and took a drag from his cigarette before letting out a bored sigh and pulling out his PHS to _finally _give that idiot, Ten-ji, the good news he was probably hoping for. However, there was no way Marcus was going to ruin the moment by holding back any of the bad news. After all, he rather enjoyed getting the old man worked up and often looked forward to it. And after that, it was time to start working out the second part of his plan…

Because, ultimately, he was the genuine heir of Shinra, and he wasn't about to share that with anyone, not even Rufus…

And especially not with Ten-ji.

- - -

There was a look in Rufus' eyes and a way to his mannerism that kept nearly everyone he passed further than an arm's distance away from him as he strode to his office with a determination he hadn't felt since the possibility of finding the Promise Lands. But surely this new obsession wouldn't bear the same destructive results as when he thought he could change and rule the world with nothing but fear as his weapon.

No, this actually seemed quite harmless to the man, and as he made it to the receptionist's office, before his own, and Sharin blurted out something to him about Tseng going somewhere to look into something he honestly didn't care about, while standing up nervously behind her desk, he simply commanded. "Hold all my calls and cancel all my appointments." Without even looking at the woman and closing the door swiftly behind him.

He honestly didn't listen to a damn word that woman said and went straight to his desk before slipping the disk of Marcus, letting Cloud out of Corel Prison , back into his laptop so he could watch it again.

All of that hatred and anger he felt when he first watched that recording was suddenly replaced with an obsessive fascination now that he realized who this other man was, and he was bound and determined, more so than before, to find out all he could about him.

In the meantime, while he waited for the recording to start, he meticulously spread out the contents of all the files he took from the good doctor in Mideel and laid them out in front of him. All the while, playing over everything he was told, and working out the best course of action in regards to how he was going to deal with Tseng over the matter as well.

After all, that son of a bitch had been lying to him all his life.

- - -

With his eyes still shut tight and his grip mercilessly suffocating to the already weak ex-Soldier in his arms, he actually found himself praying, if not silently begging, that they were both all right. All the while, his mind was plagued with thoughts of why in the hell everything that happened had to happen. Would any of it ever have happened if he wasn't put in that Gaia-forsaken stasis for five years and then taken and messed with by Ten-ji and Marcus?

Exactly, how much of his life and himself was he missing?

"If ya fuckin die on me, I'm gonna hunt ya down in the Lifestream and torment ya fer the rest of eternity." Reno finally muttered, after trying to clear out his flooded thoughts that really didn't seem as important as what he was faced with then and there. "Ya got that? Ya fuckin dumb shit?"

After that little warning, he finally opened his eyes and glanced around with a sudden sigh of relief that neither of them were part of the solid tree they'd materialized dangerously close to and shuddered at the slight oceanic chill in the air. "How'd tha' be-ny diffffrenfrum now…?"

"Heh… funny guy." He mumbled, while he tried to push the other man off of him as carefully as he could. Then he started frisking himself out in order to try and find something to cure or aid Cloud with. All the while, he did his best to ignore the man's winces and groans as he attempted to cover it up with his usual sarcastic remarks. "Glad ta see ya still got yer lack'a humour… Good sign."

Once he found a few hi-potions and regular potions that he stole from Tseng's chopper, he nodded to himself and scooted over to the ex-Soldier on his knees to get into a better position to give Cloud the medicine as he cursed and fumbled with the seal to open it.

"Ya know... I dunno if I ever told ya, or even if ya already knew..." Reno started, coming up with anything he could come up with to try and keep Cloud conscious as he tilted the man's head to a better position. "But I ain't very good at takin care'a people... I ain't really gotta clue on how ta do it." He admitted. "Or even where ta start."

With nothing more than a feeble grunt and a futile attempt to turn away from the redhead, Cloud found himself with no choice but to accept what was offered as Reno held him steady and carefully poured the odourless liquid into his mouth.

"Heh... I, uh... I don't even know how well we even knew each other, really." While still trying to keep Cloud awake, Reno removed his hand from behind his neck, ignoring Cloud's wince, and removed his jacket in an attempt to warm the man up a little by covering him with it. "Like, I mean... I think ya tried ta kill me." He muttered with a slight chuckle as he took a look around at the endless woods, wondering where they'd wound up and trying to avoid everything Marcus had told him as well as what almost happened between them both back in Wutai. "A couple times..."

Then after a slight shrug at the confusion over everything, he shivered slightly again and then studied the EMR to take a closer look at it. He honestly had no idea that the company had switched over to the design he came up with after Aldrich stole the original from him. In fact, he had no idea that it was even him who came up with the design, along with Elena's help. He simply figured he'd used it before and assumed that it was the reason it was so familiar. And with a shake to his head, he lightly caressed one of the switches and bit on his bottom lip before turning his concerned attention back over to the ex-Soldier and reluctantly confessed.

"Actually... yer probably gonna wanna kill me again after this." He said with a slightly dark edge, before he hit the button to extract the blade, and then he returned his attention over to the blonde with a slight frown over what he had to do. "But I gotta get those bullets out... I ain't got no Cure Materia."

And before the man had a chance to mumble whatever it was he was about to mutter out, Reno was back at his side and pinning him down roughly after grabbing the cleanest looking branch he could find on the ground, within reach, and telling him to bite down. "I know ya ain't got much strength, but trust me... you'll find it in a bit." He warned, and then he moved his jacket out of the way and pushed Cloud over to his side so he could cut away at the man's shirt where he initially tore at it to get better access to his initial wound. "Cuz this is gonna hurt like hell."

- - -

Cid waited until the helicopter was off the ground and out of sight before getting the Highwind over to grounds near the facility and landing it. All the while, the man practically prayed that he'd at least find one survivor he could bring back home, making his trip seem like it wasn't the total loss it was beginning to look like. He didn't want to have to leave empty-handed after going through all that trouble with two other companions to save one other before finding out there was a fourth party involved; Reno.

"There'd better fucking be someone alive." He muttered, while resting his lance over his shoulder and climbing to the ground to take a reluctant look around. At that point, he would have been happy even if it was only Reno that was alive. Whatever the hell that menacing redhead was doing there in the first place, though, was beyond Cid's wildest imagination.

However, luckily for him, the sudden screams and the counteractive yelling, commanding someone to shut the hell up, that appeared from a distance, made it seem like he might have just found at least two.

- - -

"I have ta get the fuckin bullet out!" Reno yelled, frantically, at the helpless blonde as the man screamed and tried to weakly struggle away from the pain of the blade digging deep into the back of his shoulder. If only it would all just end. He was tired of it. He should have been dead.

But thanks to Marcus, he was neither dead nor cured, and he had to live in a state of agony thanks to the redheaded asshole who didn't believe in carrying Cure Materia around.

Gaia…

It fucking hurt.

"Now quit yer yellin before ya attract some unwanted fuckin attention!"

With a strong desire to just leave the blonde and light a cigarette to relieve the tension, Reno found himself nearly wanting to give up and simply worry about himself instead. He was no fucking doctor and knew he didn't have what it took to even pretend to be one. In fact, a good, strong drink was starting to seem like a good idea at that moment.

He could always drink himself into oblivion and then he wouldn't even have to remember that he'd left the pathetic blonde to die alone in the woods.

But no…

He couldn't do that.

It was simply wrong.

"C'mon… c'mon… YA DUMB PIECE'A SHIT!" With a sudden wash of frustration, he was yelling more at the bullet than he was at the blonde and threw the EMR at the ground in an uncontrollable fit over the fact that there was nothing he could do. In fact, he was at such a point of disgruntlement over it that he nearly felt like stomping all over the stupid rod as if it was all the mag-rod's fault. "I CAN'T FUCKIN GET IT OUT!" He admitted as he screamed at the younger man, and nearly felt like crying more over the low feeling of defeat than anything else. Then he slumped to the ground and swatted at the rotting mulch while muttering. "There ain't nuthin I can do… yer fucked, Man."

At least he tried though, Cloud told himself. At least he came for him, and that was basically all that really mattered, despite the fact that he couldn't say any of it to comfort the redhead. For someone who always said he never cared, he always acted like he meant just the opposite, and if Cloud ever decided to be honest with himself, he might have just admitted that it was that same quality he possessed himself that attracted him to the man to begin with.

But he was in too much pain to really give it too much thought.

And the fact that Reno was the stubborn type and that his tantrums never lasted very long, that blasted EMR was back in that menace's hands, and he was back at digging mercilessly into the ex-soldier's shoulder with a mission that blocked out all other forms of reason.

"GYAAAGGGHHH!"

Oh, the pain.

Oh, the merciless pain.

"I SAID SHUT UP…! YER ACTIN LIKE A FUCKIN BABY!"

Oh…

The humility…

But luckily for Cloud, it didn't last very long. Because unluckily for Reno, or so it would seem, he was struck in the center of the back with a Goblin Punch, and it nearly knocked the wind out of him as he almost fell forward onto Cloud.

But he didn't. In fact, when Reno quickly supported himself and took a stand to protect the blonde, he was no longer there. And when that blue-eyed demon, as Aldrich always liked to call him, took a look around and assessed the fact that they were both surrounded by insurmountable odds, Cloud finally got the opportunity to find out just how messed up that cracker-brained redhead really was.

- - -

It was unbelievable. If it weren't for the subtleties in Marcus' mannerisms, he could have passed himself off as Rufus to those who didn't know him well enough. And unfortunately for Rufus, there was no one that really knew him well-enough to be able to pick up on it, besides Reno and Tseng, and as he rifled through the files on his desk, again, he almost didn't catch the significance of those thoughts.

But he suddenly did. And he suddenly didn't like the possibilities of what those thoughts could lead to. It didn't matter that he was mad or upset with Tseng. Tseng was his to deal with and no one else's. The man had still done a great deal for him and raised him as if he were his own, despite the fact that he'd been lying to him all his life, and as far as Reno went, Rufus could honestly say that he really didn't think he could handle losing the man again, neither physically nor mentally.

It was already stressful enough dealing with the fact that Reno hardly remembered him. But it did have some strange perks, and getting the opportunity to see what the man would have been like if Hojo and Aldrich never got their hands on him was more than anything Rufus could have ever wished for. He never lied when he said that he loved him. In fact, he outright adored and cherished the troublesome menace, and he was well-aware that it was to a point to where he couldn't live without him.

But He honestly had no idea where to start, and the more he thought about it, the more this _Ten-ji_ started to catch his attention as well. Why would this man go through all the trouble to take his brother into possession and what was he after by keeping his presence hidden for so long, if anything at all?

Well, there was really no point in sitting there with an idling cigarette, contemplating the outcome, without any solid facts to back anything up. He decided that if he was going to get any answers, the best course of action would be to confront both Reno and Tseng on what they knew about the situation and the people involved. After what the doctor told him, he knew Tseng knew must have known something, and he couldn't exactly forget the fact that Reno had called him Marcus on several occasions without even realizing it, leaving him to believe that this _relative _of his had definitely made his presence known to the redhead, if not outright tormented him for whatever reasons. And he was certain they both knew enough to give him something to go by.

Then at that, he let out a heavy sigh, and pushed himself back from the desk before brushing his bang out of his face while cocking brow. He may have let a lot of things slide in the past when it came to confronting Reno. But this time it was more personal than the jealousy of a sadistic ex-lover. This time, it involved his own personal life, his family, and his past. He couldn't just let that one go, and as far as he was concerned, he deserved to know the truth.

And with a shake to his head, he reached over and stamped out the cigarette, like he did with all the others he'd simply lit an ignored during the time he spent going over all the files, and tried to straighten his thoughts out as he reached into his pocket and pulled out, yet another one.

But he didn't remain in his seat that time. Instead he stood up, straightened out his clothing, and then he turned to regard himself in the reflection of the window behind him so he could fix up his hair as well. Then he nodded to himself when he felt he'd made himself as professionally presentable as possible, and fought off the strong desire to pour himself a drink. After all, he had no intention of going into his intended inquiries drunk that time. No, he was going to be as clear-headed as he could possibly be and maintain control over the situation.

Both, Tseng and Reno owed him for this one, and he wasn't going to let either of them get away with holding anything back or twisting the truth around to cover their own asses this time either.

Then, with those thoughts in mind, he made his way out of the office and decided he'd start with Reno since Tseng was supposedly out somewhere tending to whatever business he was tending to.

­- - -

Cid's silent cursing to himself was cut short when he heard the sudden noises of something that sounded like a battle, and then he finally thanked the God's for giving him a better clue as to which direction Cloud and Reno were at. However, it wasn't just the sounds that caught his attention, there was something else he'd never seen before that suddenly lit up the skies, somewhat resembling the effect of Bolt 3 accompanied by All, but more powerful, giving him an exact trajectory to set his course on. He only hoped that whatever he'd seen was used by his allies and not the enemy.

"They'd better fucking be alive." The old pilot muttered to himself as he gripped his lance more aggressively and quickened his pace to lend a hand.

Then in a matter of minutes, he found himself in a richly wooded area with several deceased Goblins and small fires scattered about as Reno defended the waning blonde on the ground with his EMR readied from those that were remaining; still too many to count. All the while, the redhead shouted obscenities and refused to step away from the ex-Soldier as he took a more defensive stance, allowing the Goblins to take the offense and make the first moves as he counter-acted them.

He almost didn't notice the older man running in and helping to clear out the numbers, accompanied by the odd limit break here and there. At least, that was, until the attacks wore off as the creatures set their focus on more than just one enemy to deal with, and after that, the blue-eyed menace turned his attention down to Cloud who was nearly on his last breath and decided he'd let the old pilot take care of the offense on his own for a bit while he tended to the role of taking care of the younger blonde.

"I ain't lettin ya die." He hissed, as he knelt down and placed his hands on the ex-Soldier to elicit a blood-curdling scream as a painful surge ran through the blonde's body and the bullets started to painfully slide out from where they were lodged.

"What the hell are you doing to him?"

After hearing the pained screech from his old ally, Cid nearly lost his focus with a new desire to turn his aggressive attention toward the redhead instead of the countless Goblins they were surrounded by in order to protect his old friend from the suddenly disturbing menace hovering over him.

"Savin 'is life, ya dumb shit." He rasped back, while refusing to take his hands or attention away from the blonde as a strange source of energy started to fill Cloud's life-force. "An if I were ya, I'd worry more 'bout what's be'ind me."

Not really knowing if he could trust the ex-Turk, or even understand what was going on, Cid fully understood the warning and reluctantly turned his attention back to the Goblins with enough of his limit maxed out to release the Highwind energy on a good portion of them, bringing the odds down to a more manageable state. And before he knew it, the menacing redhead was at his side with strangely sped-up movements, aiding him in taking care of the remainder of what was left.

Then when it was all over, the pilot relentlessly panted and dug out a cigar, while the scrawny psycho beside him followed his lead with a cigarette while keeping his eyes averted from the man and muttered out. "'E's gonna be alright."

"Fuck." With the sudden reminder, Cid unconsciously ran toward Cloud and knelt down to check up on him as the younger man's breathing became more steady and his colour started to slowly return, during which time, he completely neglected to notice the redhead falling to the ground behind him as if he'd just passed out.

- - -

"What the hell do you mean you don't know where he is?" Rufus asked as the room almost seemed to darken over the mentally fumbling Turks before him after he discovered Reno's absence and called them both to his office to find out what the hell was going on. He would have asked how in the hell the man could have disappeared so effectively, but he knew better than to ask a stupid question such as that. They were, after all, talking about Reno. But it wasn't like he could have left the building. The security fields would have never let him get passed, unless there was a weakness in the structure. In which case, Rufus didn't doubt for a second that Reno would definitely be the one to find it if there was one.

"I've checked all the surveillance." Rude answered, while Elena mindlessly added that it was as if he just disappeared from the planet, rewarding herself with a death-glare from the sub-zero blonde in front of her. But she wasn't about to back down. Besides, there was no way she could have if she wanted to. The man was right there, in front of her, and there was no way of getting out of the situation they were in.

"Well then…" The President responded coldly, and brushed his bang out of his icy-blue eyes while he glared at her again. "Perhaps you should disappear from the planet as well." He chillingly chided as he refused to take his attention away from her. "Then perhaps, you'd have better luck finding him."

"Sir." With a sudden pause, long enough to clear out his throat, Rude stepped in front of Elena and reminded Rufus that they were doing all they could and that they had no intention of giving up. "There are still places we haven't searched, and the other Turks have also been ordered to investigate his whereabouts as well."

"Investigate." Rufus muttered back, and let out a frustrated sigh before pulling out a cigarette and shooting another disapproving glance at Elena. Then he coldly dismissed them so they could get back to their investigation and walked over to his system to activate the tracking system he had Erryn inject into his troublesome lover. If he was still in the building, there would be no way of pinpointing him due to the close proximity, which would at least set his mind at ease, knowing he was still nearby.

But if not…

Well, Rufus didn't think that was a very pleasant thought as he unconsciously placed his hand on the handle of his gun and tapped his finger lightly over the trigger. But at least he'd be able to find him if he was at a fair enough distance, despite the fact that someone would most definitely have to pay for overlooking the security measures.

- - -

By the time Cid carried Reno to the Highwind and helped to support Cloud while being thankful that the man was finally able to walk, albeit, with a lack of equilibrium, things started to get ugly again. Because as soon as he got Reno near one of the beds in the quarters below, that blasted EMR struck him in the neck with a low enough voltage to knock him down but not kill him, and if it wasn't for Cloud's returning strength, Reno would have actually made it back to the grounds.

"I've gotta find Tseng." Was his excuse, as he reached back to relieve some of the stress of his hair being roughly pulled, wrenching his neck back, before he fell disgracefully onto his ass and stared up at the blonde supporting himself with one hand against the wall and a few loose strands of red hair in the other. In the meantime, Cid angrily pushed himself back up with a shaky vibe running through his body and slammed the door shut before situating himself in front of it to block Reno from leaving.

"He's dead."

No one really wanted to say it. But it had to be said nonetheless, and it came out like a chorus as both the blondes said it simultaneously while looking down at the deceptively innocent looking asshole rubbing at his head from where his hair was pulled.

There was honestly no way the man could have survived. They all knew it. If the bullet in his chest didn't kill him, then Chaos would most-likely finish him off. But no one really wanted to admit to that or even say it, even though it was running through all their heads.

However, the acknowledgement didn't really do much in the way of holding off a hysterical yelling match between the three of them that suddenly turned physical. All of it involving Reno's insistence on finding the man on the off -chance he was still alive, Cid trying his best to _not _say that if he didn't get Reno back to Shinra fast, they were _all_ going to be dead. Of course, he managed to cover it up quite well, as he basically nodded and agreed with Cloud while holding the wiry, and somewhat mudslinging, redhead down while Cloud shakily yelled back at him and nearly smacked him for the needling remarks flying out of the foul mouth firing back at him.

Luckily for Reno, Cloud didn't really have the strength to do any damage if he wanted to though, and luckily for Cid, Cloud managed to hold himself back, saving him from having to explain where the bruise on Reno's face would have come from if he was ever asked about it.

But perhaps the stress levels peeking as they did were a good thing though. Because for some reason, all the dirty little secrets that the important parties had gained over the last several months in regards to what was going on managed to flood into the air as if they were just dying to get out.

And as it turned out, Reno discovered that Marcus allowed Cloud to know more of what was going on than he probably should have, leaving Reno to realize that he needed to get back to Shinra as quickly as he could to warn Rufus that all of his suspicions had substance. To hell with what he promised Tseng. There was no way he could keep something as important as that nutcase wanting to replace him away from Rufus' attention.

Not to mention, the fact that Marcus also wanted Ten-ji out of the picture, as well as Reno and Cloud spending enough time together to drive Rufus over the edge was more than unsettling to say the least. Apparently, Reno wasn't the only one being played with by that unstable maniac, and to make matters worse, Cloud indulged in the fact that he'd been visiting Reno without Reno even knowing it.

"What the hell do ya mean?" Was his natural response, and what he heard as an explanation was enough to probably drive him over the edge along with Rufus.

"He's been pretending to be Rufus, Reno." Cloud answered, with a tired reluctance, as Cid let go and sat back while trying to process all the overwhelming information he was bearing witness to. "And he'd been visiting you the whole time he had me…" Unable to finish the sentence, Cloud knelt down in front of the baffled redhead and softened his voice. "He told me." Then he moved slightly closer and bit on his bottom lip when the redhead scooted back on the floor as if he was revolted by the blonde in front of him.

"He lies!" He spat out, in an attempt to deny that there was no way he couldn't have noticed. "He'd say anythin ta mess with yer head!"

"I don't doubt that." Cloud admitted. However, there was very little that Marcus said that was a lie. In fact, he honestly couldn't say that the man lied to him once during his whole captivity, despite his unstable and sadistic nature and the fact that he liked to spin the truth around enough to make it hurt and confuse a person beyond reason, he didn't really need to lie to achieve the results he was after. "But he had proof."

"What the fuck'r ya talkin about?" With a sudden sense of anxiety, Reno turned his attention over to Cid as the man finished lighting his cigar, and asked. "What the fuck is he talkin about?" And was rewarded with an artless shrug accompanied by a confused shake to the pilot's head before he returned his attention back to Cloud. "What fuckin proof?"

"He steals." Cloud muttered, before lowering his eyes and easing up on his heals to make himself more comfortable. "He'd show me what he took from the apartment."

"That don't mean shit… That don't mean he actually talked ta me!"

"He pulled out your hair and brought it back."

"He could'a taken it from a brush or somethin!" Reno attempted to reason, since the thought of him actually interacting with Marcus and thinking it was Rufus was more than unsettling.

And as the conversation of revelation and denial went on, Cid figured it was time to leave the two of them to argue with one another and get the menace back to Shinra as fast as he could. Then he decided, he'd come back to look for Vincent and Tseng with Tifa and whoever else he could find to help. He honestly had no intention of giving up hope.

But he really didn't have any either.

Otherwise, he would have already been out there looking for them. However, Tseng was a trained Turk, and Chaos never lasted long. If all went well, Vincent would have returned to normal and tended to Tseng, leaving them with either the option to wait for the Highwind's return, or to find and take one of the choppers left behind.

He could only pray that that was what happened.

- - -

"Leviathan…" Tseng grimaced as the claws tore into his shoulders and he was dragged deeper into a cavern that he wasn't even sure had an exit. While making every attempt not to set Chaos off, he winced and bit his tongue with a hiss when he was released and tossed like a lifeless flapbeat against the cold and damp stones that dug into his back.

"Vincent… if you can hear me…" He shakily started, as he tried to keep his pained tone steady and calm while the creature hovered above him with chattering teeth as if it thought it was in danger. "It's not your fault."

Then he let out a small whimper that he couldn't hold back when one of the sharp claws entered the wound where the bullet entered and tore painfully at him. "Promise me you won't blame yourself." He cried, and grasped onto the creature's arm in reflex. He honestly didn't think he was ready to die, at least, not like that, and was suddenly reduced to a begging man as he continued to try and get through to the humanity behind the beast.

But it was as if his pleas and requests fell on deaf ears as the creatures claws felt like they were tearing at him. "Leviathan…" He muttered again as he felt like he was going to pass out. "Vincent… Please…"

And before he could stop himself from saying the inevitable, he wound up saying it; filling himself with a sense of his own doom being sealed, and he said. "Please don't tell Elena this is how I died." He knew she'd never forgive the ex-Turk if she knew, and he would have preferred it if both her and his daughter believed that he died with some kind of honour instead of the lack of dignity he was finding himself at face with. "Tell her it was the bullet… It's not your fault." He muttered again as his words started to trail off and his consciousness started to slip away, leaving him with an odd sense of comfort from the growing numbness and being thankful that he wouldn't have to bear witness to his own demise as the howling creature dug into him once more.


	19. What Might it Lead to

**Chapter 19: What Might it Lead to**

* * *

The skies were becoming overcast as the day moved onto the evening, like they often did over Goblin Island around that time. The ambience of the approaching dusk was casting an eerie golden-orange hue over the silence Vincent found himself overlooking. He didn't really know what had happened. But from the clear view of the grounds he had, he could only contemplate that things didn't go as planned, and from the faint scent of Meteor that still lingered in the air, and the absence of the Highwind, he was left with an odd sense of hope mixed with a deepening concern. 

However, it was best not to focus too much on those things at that point, considering he had more pressing concerns he felt he nearly had to run away from, which was what led him to the small opening where he crouched and held onto the bullet caked in the dried blood of someone he always respected with the deepest of regards.

He was left confused over the circumstances when he came to and was faced with what was left before him. But none of that showed as he continued to look over the grounds with his usual solemn expression that never really expressed what his thoughts were. But it was enough for contemplation; there was something more pressing he needed to tend to, and no signs of life, besides those which were native, were left. They had all either fled or died.

- - -

"This is all fuckin insane." Reno muttered with a shake to his head while he wondered if things had always been like that or if it was just something new. He highly suspected that it was the former though, and shook his head again while digging out a cigarette and letting out a deep sigh. "What the fuck am I supposed ta tell Rufus about all this?" Then just as quickly as the thought left his mouth in words, he wound up blurting out "Don't fuckin touch me!" and swatted Cloud's hand away from his shoulder when the man attempted to offer some comfort.

It was irrelevant at that point to take anyone else's concerns or suggestions into consideration, besides his own, in regards to what he was going to tell Rufus about Tseng, Marcus, and Cloud. From what little he remembered of the owly President, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that the man had somewhat of a forceful side and an unshakeable temperament, making him a little difficult to deal with at times.

"Sorry." Cloud mumbled, before sinking his head down as he slouched ungracefully against the wall and stared off into space, he was still somewhat dizzy and disoriented from the ordeal, and not exactly the best person to give any helpful advice at that moment. Not to mention, he didn't really want to help out when the biggest concern of Reno's was how Rufus was going to react.

But at the same time, he didn't really feel that he should leave the man dead-in-the-water either. He did, after all, come to his rescue when he didn't have to.

"Fuck it…" After taking a drag from his cigarette, he pushed himself from the floor and walked over to the small window, at a head's height, to stare at the endless ocean they travelled over. "I can't fuckin tell him about ya." He admitted, and took another drag before letting out a brisk snort and shrugging as he turned slightly to regard the worn-out ex-Soldier. "I dunno what ta say."

With nothing more than a shrug in response, Cloud crossed his shaky arms in front of him and continued to stare at the floor in reflection of the same lack of thought going through his head.

"Prison!" Reno exclaimed, and smacked his hand against the wall before compulsively flicking the filtered end of his cigarette in a manner that scattered the ashes about at his feet. His constant jumping, skipping, and lack of consistency over his choice of topics was leaving Cloud slightly confused about half of what Reno was talking about for the most part. "He put you in fuckin prison for five years?"

There was no mistaking the astonishment in the redhead's voice as his temper started to escalate again, and the way he was suddenly back over to Cloud left the other wondering if Reno was going to strike out at him without any reason or warning while the man yelled at him as if it was suddenly his fault.

"And that was… why?" He asked, and bent his knees to meet with those Mako-blue eyes that mirrored the inner desire to simply not be where he was. "'Cuz… You and I got some history?"

_History._ Cloud thought, while continuing to avoid that maniacal green threatening to cut through him like a knife. There was never any _history_. There was only ever a one-sided desire, nothing else. The only reason Rufus ever succeeded in caging that wild beast was because the man had an intestinal fortitude like no other and was a sucker for punishment.

But then again, so was Cloud.

"So, what's the story then?" The redhead demanded, frustrated with the cryptic information he was receiving from everyone. Everything he asked was like fingernails on a chalkboard to nearly everyone he asked the questions to. He wasn't blind. He could tell his questions made everyone nervous. Exactly what the hell happened in his life that made everyone treat him like a delicate eggshell capable of cracking at the slightest insight? "Were we lovers?"

Even though he asked it, he didn't really want to know if it was an actual fact. There was something so wrong and confusing about his relationship with the sandy-haired blonde that he wasn't even really sure if there _was_ an answer. "Friends? Enemies?"

Cloud's silence didn't exactly help matters much either. In fact, it only seemed to escalate the redhead's suspicions and anger him further. Then with a temperamental throw, the EMR Reno was carrying wound up bouncing off the frame of the small bed in the quarters they were in and busting the shade of the light above them before it ricocheted back to the floor and landed on the ex-Turk's foot. Surprisingly though, it rewarded no reaction. But Cloud figured it was probably to be expected when he considered the man was justified in his frustrations over the lack of answers he was receiving.

Cloud was in prison; that much Reno knew was a fact. Cloud had stabbed him more than once; unconfirmed suspicion, but fairly likely. Not to mention, he had the questionable scars as semi-proof of that suspicion.

"So, what is it?" He asked again, and wound up back in front of Cloud with his hand on the wall by the blonde's head, demanding his attention. "I deserve a fuckin answer!"

He did. Cloud couldn't deny that. But he just couldn't answer him.

It was as if some force of magic had been cast, taking his voice away, and he simply couldn't respond. About the best he could do was instinctively block the blow that nearly came his way before he pushed the unpredictable redhead back, causing him to stumble and land on the floor. "Is that your answer to everything?" Cloud suddenly managed, without meaning to, and before he could stop himself, his own temper had flared up. "Everything is either violence, booze, or sex to you!" He accused as he glared at the astonished redhead on the floor. "Is that how you deal with all your problems?"

He didn't even bother waiting for an answer and wound up pulling the scoundrel up by the scruff of his collar before slamming him into the wall as he informed him. "You're nothing but a Gaiadamned alcoholic who gambles and sleeps your life away!" He accused, while he held himself back from hitting the man. "You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself, Reno! You lie, you cheat, you play everyone around you…! You kidnap and you murder!" Then he shook the man, almost violently, as he tried to bite back on his words. That wasn't exactly how he foresaw himself trying to help the man discover who he was. But he was still angry and couldn't stop himself from finishing what he'd started. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

His voice came out as nearly a growl while he continued in a failing attempt to calm himself. Even though they were things he always knew and felt, they were never really things he actually planned on saying to the man. But it was too late. He'd already said them, and he was still on a role. "And _yes_, we _did_ sleep together." He confided with a lowered voice. "You weren't the best, but you sure as hell left the worst mark!"

"Yer a fuckin sonuvabitch." Reno choked out, while he simultaneously tried to loosen the blonde's grip so he could push him away. Then for no reason than to simply fuel the fire, he blurted out with a challenging fire in his eyes. "So it was jus a fuck… Nuthin more."

"Yeah." Cloud agreed, before pulling Reno away from the wall and throwing him to the other side of the room with a newfound strength. "Just a fuck." Then he let out a snort as he contemplated the mistake and stared at the wall opposite to Reno. "We were both worked up… and a little drunk…" He said, with a low crackle to his voice. There was no need to go into too much detail or explain where his own emotions came from, so he kept it short and sweet. "You were sick, and I went out to help you… I didn't know at first… I mean… I knew you were sick. But I thought you were just causing trouble." He admitted.

Then he shook his head and looked down. "That's not what happened though… When I followed you to see what you were up to, you were having an attack and you had three men ready to beat you into the Lifestream." With nothing more than a shaky sigh as a break, he turned with a tilt to his head to regard Reno as the man pushed himself from the floor. "I thought you were dying…" He admitted. "We all thought you were…"

"Yeah… been told that one already."

Not really realising it, Cloud simply nodded in response and decided to help the other to his feet before holding him steady and explaining the rest after brushing the red strands out of the man's eyes before he shamefully admitted that after stabbing the man. "I knew what I was doing."

"So… ya took advantage of me." Reno responded quietly, more or less to finish the sentence as opposed to actually asking.

Cloud neither nodded nor shook his head, nor did he even respond. Instead, he merely stared in the deep and confused ocean of swirling blue-green before him. Admitting to the man that he simply started going after Reno to spite Rufus wasn't exactly something he wanted to admit to.

Besides, it wasn't like he never found the man attractive to begin with, and it wasn't like he never felt anything for him either. But if he were to be honest with himself, he highly doubted he would have advanced upon him if he was with anyone other than Rufus. "You told me you and Rufus had a fight and that you wanted out." He told him factually. "But when you sobered up, you changed your mind."

"Oh." Reno muttered, after he took a short moment to process the information and read between the lines. Most of it seemed to satiate his curiosity, since it actually made sense. But there was still a hole in the story that left the ex-Turk uneasy. "So, he put ya in jail, cuz ya slept with me…? Once?" Knowing full-well there had to be more, he couldn't help but want to instigate Cloud's sudden desire to be honest further.

"Rufus told me you were dead after the explosion." Cloud informed, and lightly brushed Reno's hair back again. "When I found out he lied and put you in stasis, I confronted him… I didn't really know what I was trying to prove… But things got ugly between us, and we both…" Slightly embarrassed at the confession he was about to make, he wound up muttering the rest out in a barely audible tone.

"Huh?"

- - -

"Sir…" Rude started, as Elena stood slightly behind him and to his left. "It looks like he's heading back in this direction."

"That's not what I'm concerned about." Rufus commented, with a sharp tone, while standing at the window and looking out over the city with his hands behind his back.

Neither Rude nor Elena chose to ask him to elaborate on what he was concerned about, and instead, they both gave each other a weary glance while taking a deep breath to alleviate the stress. However, their little moment of silent communication was cut short the moment Rufus stormed over and slammed the lid down on the laptop before regarding them both with an icy glare.

"What the hell is taking Jared so long?" Rufus finally spat out, before brushing back his bang and reaching into his pocket to pull out a cigarette.

"It takes time to go over the security, Sir." Elena explained, with a nearly mirrored edge to her own tone before challengingly adding. "And you wanted him to go over everything."

Despite the fact that Rufus couldn't argue with that, he was still willing to give it his best shot. But just as he was about to open his mouth to let the young lady know her response was uncalled for, he was cut off by his secretary's voice over the intercom announcing that Jared had arrived. "Send him in." Was his typical response, before he professionally calmed himself down and straightened out his coat. As a result, he decided that Elena's tone was suddenly at the bottom of his list when he observed Jared enter his office with a solemn look.

"The last time he was visible to the cameras was right before he went to the bathroom near Reeve's office." Jared explained, before handing the disc over to Rufus so he could see for himself. "It's as if he just disappeared after that."

"That's not possible." Rufus muttered at the same time as he swiped the disc from the man's hand and placed it in his laptop. "Is there a vent in that room?"

"No, Sir."

Right after Jared's reply, Rude stepped up behind Rufus to watch for himself while adding that "Even if there was, the security had been revised and added to those areas. We would have known if he took that route."

Simply nodding, Rufus kept his back to the Turk as he watched Reno go in and never come out. Then he brushed his hand through his hair and took a quick glance at Elena and Jared while they stood in front of him to assess their reactions to the whole situation, before he returned his attention over to Rude. "He's always been a good escape artist."

"Yes, Sir." Rude agreed while he adjusted his shades and lowered his head. "But there's always the possibility he was abducted." He reluctantly added. "Like Allysia."

"I see." Then with a quick nod, Rufus took a drag from his cigarette and attempted to make a small amount of sense out of the situation. "However, that wouldn't explain why the tracking system suggests he's on his way back."

"…"

"Is it possible he managed to get his hands on some Exit Materia?" Elena finally questioned after coming up with no other explanation, before she took a bold step toward Rufus' desk and smoothed her jacket down in the front.

"At this point, I'm willing to take anything into consideration." Even though he still couldn't come up with a reason as to why Reno would have left, he wasn't willing to rule out all the possibilities, despite the fact that he thought he was making progress with the man. But he simply wasn't prepared to have it all blow up in his face and make him look like a gullible and trusting imbecile, and he was well-aware of the fact that he simply didn't like the feeling. "However, if that's the case, I'd certainly like to know how he would have attained such an unstable and illegal strain of Materia during his stay here."

Not to mention, he highly doubted that Exit was something Reno would have wanted to play with, which led him to more suspicious thoughts as to what would have made the man desperate enough to want to risk his life like that in the first place. "Perhaps he followed Tseng." He finally muttered, and then he took a deep breath and took another quick and disturbing glance at Elena, suggesting he might have suspected she knew more than what she was admitting to since she was married to the man.

Then he switched back over to the tracking system and noted that Reno's signal appeared to be closer than it was a moment ago, and continuously approaching at a steady pace. "Well…" He started, before he paused long enough to take another drag from his cigarette. "I suppose the only way we're going to get any answers is to ask the source." After that, he set his attention on Rude and watched as the large Turk made his way to stand with his fellow co-workers before he opened his drawer to pull out a small unit designed to follow Reno's signal. "Rude."

"Sir?"

"I want you to take this and wait with Jared near the entrance." He ordered while he walked over to the man to hand him the device. "The moment he arrives, I want you to bring him to me immediately."

"Understood, Sir."

"And if it appears as though his destination changes, you and Jared are to take it upon yourselves to track him until you find him. I don't want to see either of you until he's in your possession." Then he turned his attention over to Elena to explain why he didn't order her to go along with them. "As for you." He started, as his eyes turned colder. "I expect you to locate your husband, find his whereabouts, and bring him back immediately."

"Yes, Sir."

"Very well." He said, with a nod, before he straightened out his coat and returned his attention to each of them in turn. "I don't want to see any of you again until you've completed your tasks… You're dismissed."

- - -

He was slightly groggy and unfocused when he came to, but he still noticed the glum silhouette sitting with his back against the far wall of the dark cave and appearing to be lost somewhere in thought. He probably wouldn't have seen him at all if it wasn't for the small fire Vincent had started to keep the man warm, and he wound up grimacing when he attempted to move. As a reaction to the discomfort, he placed his hand over the Cure-healed wound in his chest and took a laboured breath as a sharp pain shot through him in complaint. "I thought you betrayed me." He finally said, in a low voice, to catch the man's attention before he elaborated on his thoughts that gained no response. "None of us knew you'd fallen victim to Hojo's experiments."

"I didn't want anyone to know."

Uncomfortably nodding to the response, Tseng decided it was best to simply avoid trying to move until the Cure spell finished its slow and agonizing task. Vincent's response was something he fully understood. Therefore, it required no more than a silent acceptance. Not to mention, he'd come to learn how things always appeared as they weren't due to his own circumstances, as well as the strange fact that Chaos did nothing more than remove the bullet for some un-explained reason in which he was reluctant to ask about for fear of stirring up Vincent's melancholy mood any further.

"How are you feeling?" Vincent finally asked, after the long silence, and continued to turn the bullet he kept in his hand without turning his attention over to the man.

"Horrible." With a slight chuckle at the admittance, The Wutain Turk pressed his hand over the wound again and grimaced as another sharp pain ran through his system. "I assume I have you to thank for saving my life again."

At that, he was rewarded with more silence as the gunfighter simply lowered his head into his mantle as if he was reminded of something he felt he'd done wrong. "I wouldn't have to if I wasn't responsible."

"You were never responsible." He consoled, in a breathy response, before he closed his eyes in an introverted attempt to escape from the physical realm in order to cope with the unpleasant healing process. "Even if you weren't injured, I still could have been shot." Then he smiled a little wryly and attempted to lighten the atmosphere a little. "It's nothing I haven't experienced before."

As a Turk, he'd been through the wringer on countless occasions and felt no need to ever hold anyone responsible other than the circumstances at hand. But he knew that wasn't all Vincent was talking about. He'd known the man long enough to realise the ex-Turk had a tendency to focus more on the mistakes of his past than on the current ones, and he came to the conclusion that it was simply Vincent's way of trying to find retribution for the mistakes he thought he'd made, much like with Lucrecia.

"I brought you some water." Vincent said quietly and in a strange manner of avoidance, before he pulled out a small canteen and came over to the man to aid the Turk. "I found a source outside."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Mm… This almost reminds me of a time when I didn't want to be saved." Tseng admitted without thought, after Vincent placed his hand behind his neck to help him sit up a bit.

"You've changed."

"Not that much."

"You're not as reckless."

"Ah…" With a wry smile, Tseng's charcoal eyes ran over Vincent in a slight study. "I learn from my mistakes." He commented, meaning it more as a joke than a stab. But he could tell by the way the gunman lowered his face into his mantle again that his intentions back-fired on him. Then he let out a laboured sigh and carefully shook his head. "I really do wish you'd stop blaming yourself for everything, Vince. You're not as much at fault as you think you are."

"If I thought about things before I did them, I never would have messed things up with you and Lucrecia."

"She was a beautiful woman." Tseng admitted, not really knowing how else to help justify Vincent's attraction to Hojo's wife. "Any man could have made the same mistake." Then he pushed himself more into a sitting position with an obvious grimace, causing the gunman to quickly move to his aid again. "And as for me… My uncle would have spun any wild fantasy he could materialize to get me out of his way. If it wasn't you, he would have found something else."

"I never denied it."

"It's history… Besides, none of it was true and you were in a position where you felt you needed to protect yourself."

"I could have said something."

"No one would have believed you at that point." Tseng consoled, as he got the sudden urge to pull away the torn cloth from his wound to take a look for himself. "There was a murder, a believable story, and someone to point the finger at and deem as a traitor." He muttered, remembering how he was put in prison and marked for termination over the web-spun lies of his uncle's ambitions. Then he raised his brow at the mess of a scar Chaos left him with, despite it's good intentions, and wondered how he was going to explain that one to his wife. "Besides, you would have gone down with me if you'd returned at that point, and it would have only added substance to the accusations."

"Was I wrong to come back then?"

"No." Tseng sighed out, and returned his attention back over to Vincent after a quick, mocking, motion to the man to show him what he did to him. "Despite what I said, and the fight I gave you, I honestly didn't want to die." Then he let out a short breath with a slight chuckle. "Not then… not now." After that, he shook his head again, and wiped his hand on the outside of his jacket. "To the dark places of the Lifestream with Wutain honour."

"Wutain honour." Vincent repeated, and poured a small amount of the water onto his cloak to wipe away at some of the dried blood around Tseng's bullet-wound. "I thought that was everything to you back then."

"It was." After admitting to nothing more than fact, Tseng turned the corner of his mouth to a slight frown when he noticed he'd managed to strike Vincent unintentionally again. "But then you broke me out of prison, saved me from my imminent death, made everyone believe there was substance to his story, and then you introduced me to Boris so I could turn the stories of betrayal against my own people into truth."

"So, it was my fault." Vincent concluded, as he nodded slightly and turned his eyes down.

"No." Tseng corrected before letting out a shaky breath and admitting. "I blamed you at first… But in time, I realized you were no less a tool than I was to Ten-ji's s ambitions to get my father out of the way." Then he paused for a short moment, and stared off into space, suddenly able to ignore the complaining aches with each of his movements. "And now that I know for a fact that he's still alive… I believe I have a score to settle."

- - -

"I told ya not ta fuckin touch me!" Reno spat out, as he aggressively pushed Cloud away after making his way onto the deck where Cid was steering the ship and wearing a typical frown, to reflect his disapproval, toward Cloud's attraction to the ex-Turk. "Yer jus as much ta blame as everyone else fer this fuckin mess."

After muttering out his dispassionate thoughts in regards to the situation, and Cloud's confession about the fact that he and Rufus tried to kill each other over him, Reno stuffed his cigarette in his mouth and sauntered over to the railing where he could look down over the grounds as they slowly approached the outskirts of Midgar.

Then, before Cloud managed to get no more than the beginning of a word out, Reno cut him off and accused him of deserving to be in jail if what he told him was true, stopping the man dead in his tracks as he was about to approach the redhead to try and talk some reason into him.

"Hey!" Cid finally exclaimed, right before the cigar fell out of his mouth when he saw the untrustworthy ruffian ready his EMR the second Cloud made a bold attempt to approach the man again. "There'll be no fighting on my ship!"

"No fightin." The redhead mumbled, and then he snorted out a quick and sarcastic chuckle before turning his attention to the old pilot and justifying his reaction. "Did he tell ya why he was in prison?" He demanded, as he motioned the EMR at the ex-Soldier. "Did he tell ya he pushed his way through Shinra an tried ta kill Rufus?"

Judging by the sudden and disapproving look on the older man's face, and the embarrassment on Cloud's, Reno could only conclude that the younger blonde had managed to keep his imprisonment a secret from more people and for more reasons than he was willing to admit to.

"I don't fucking believe this!" Cid finally exclaimed, after taking a moment to absorb the information. Then he threw his hands up in the air, and nearly forgot he was supposed to be in control of the ship.

"He fired the first shot." Cloud mumbled, as he kept his head lowered and avoided both of the men's questioning and accusing glares.

"Yeah." With a mocking nod, Reno flicked his cigarette over the edge and kept his tone short, before placing his hands in his pocket and taking a step forward to add substance to his accusation. "Right after ya stormed inta his office, _un-_invited, an threatened ta kill him."

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Is _that_ why you were in prison?"

Doing nothing more than sinking his head further into his shoulders while keeping his eyes on the ground, he simply kept quiet as he attempted to mentally escape the situation while Reno filled Cid in, of all people, about his version of what happened. Unfortunately, it was fairly accurate. "Heh… yeah… an judging from everythin else I've gathered, it ain't no fuckin surprise that he would'a shot at ya… What the hell were ya thinkin?

"I wasn't."

"He never does." Muttered Cid, with a shake to his head. After that, he stuffed another cigar into his mouth and returned his attention back to the steer. He'd heard enough, more than what he wanted to hear, and after everything he learned from the moment he agreed to help Vincent save Cloud, he also knew that it wasn't under Rufus' blessing that ex-Soldier was let out of Prison. He was harbouring a damn fugitive.

"Fuck…" It wasn't so much what happened between Rufus and Cloud that was bothering Reno as much as it was the fact that he was, somehow, in the middle of it all. Not to mention, it suddenly struck Reno as a grave problem due to the fact that he'd snuck away from Shinra to come and help him, and there was no doubt in his mind that his absence would have been discovered by now.

"Cid... Yer gonna hafta drop us off on the outskirts." Then he stormed passed Cloud and roughly pushed the man on his way back to the lower decks to find the galley while angrily muttering. "I did'n fuckin risk everythin ta save him, jus ta screw him over."

"What?" Cloud asked, with a slight astonishment, as Cid's attention suddenly peaked again. "Reno…" He persuaded, and then he started to follow the man to find out what the hell he was suddenly up to. "Reno –"

"Shut up." With a curt response to cut the man off, Reno made it to the bottom quickly and started on his way to his destination like he knew where he was going and continued on, with Cloud at his heals, until he got there. Then he spun around and pushed Cloud again when the man came too close to him. "I can't have ya goin nowhere near Midgar, ya dumbass!"

"What are you gonna do?"

"I dunno…" He admitted, and turned back around to locate the bar and grab himself a beer. "Fuck… I dunno." With nothing more than frustration fuelling him at that moment, he managed to get the bottle open and take a large drink before wiping his mouth and thinking out loud with his back to the blonde. "Maybe I can talk ta him… get him ta leave ya alone…"

"Rufus can't be reasoned with, Reno."

"Nah…" The redhead corrected with a shake to his head. "Ya don't know him."

If only Cloud had one Gil for every time he heard Reno defend that maniac with those exact words…

"No!" He corrected back and spun Reno around to face him while boxing him in against the counter. "Maybe it's _you_ that doesn't know him. I know as a _fact_ that Rufus doesn't see reason with anything unless he has something to gain from it!"

"So, what're ya sayin?" Reno asked, with a challenging sneer. "Ya wanna run fer the rest'a yer fuckin life?" After nothing but silence from the blonde, Reno snorted and took another drink before calming down slightly and meeting the man's eyes while ignoring the fact that they were unnecessarily close to one another. "Look… I need ya ta work with me on this." He pleaded, or so it seemed, as he played the situation up in hopes to get the man to go along with him. "I need ya ta lay low fer a while… 'Least until I've had a chance ta try an see what Rufus could gain by lettin ya return ta a free life."

"See what Rufus can gain?" Cloud asked suspiciously. If he didn't know any better, he'd almost say that Reno didn't just play with the enemy, he played with everyone. It was suddenly no wonder that the man climbed the ranks as he did.

"Yeah… ya said it yerself… He don't see reason 'less he has something ta gain… So, let me find out what he has ta gain."

- - -

It had been almost an hour since Rude and Jared were ordered to remain at the front of the building in hopes of Reno making his appearance. No more than the bare minimal of sentences were exchanged between the two, and the brief conversations they attempted were kept strictly towards Rude's observations on the tracking system. However, there was quite naturally, the question that was starting to irk the big man more and more each time he was asked in regards to his progress with Tifa.

The right moment simply hadn't arrived, and each time it seemed like it did, he was interrupted, leading him to believe that he wasn't the only one becoming frustrated with the situation. "If you don't ask her soon, she's going to move on." Jared finally pointed out, after they both took note of the curious and distant landing, not more than fifteen minutes ago of what appeared to be the Highwind. And to make things even more curious, it seemed to be in sync with the tracking system they were keeping their eyes on.

"…"

It didn't make much sense though. If indeed, it was Cid that was bringing Reno home, it would have made more sense for the man to simply request a landing permit atop the building. Unless, of course, there was more going on than met the eye.

"I'm aware of that."

Nodding, as he peered over the big man's shoulder once more to check the status, Jared stepped back slightly and took a careful look over the man as Rude kept his eyes fixed in a particular direction. "He's heading right for us."

"I see that."

"Why do you think he left?"

"I don't know."

"You don't think he's still working with the enemy… Do you?"

"I hope not."

"Hm." Jared muttered, and adjusted his pants to situate them more comfortably. "You know… There's always a possibility that the little –"

"Don't say it."

With a role to his eyes, Jared decided it was best to listen and continued his thoughts without the unnecessary insult. "It's always possible he could have gone and run off with Cloud."

"For all our sakes, you'd better hope you're wrong."

"Well, it isn't like the-_Reno_ ever really took anything or anyone into consideration other than himself."

"He's not as bad as you think he is."

"You all keep saying that." Jared pointed out, while taking a bored look around and setting his eyes on an attractive woman making her way to the elevators. "But I've never seen him do anything to prove it."

"He saved your life."

"Yeah… So, he could play kamikaze with his ex."

Rude would have either retorted, or even gone so far as to smack the man for his outright brazenness toward a situation he felt Reno couldn't have avoided if he wanted to. But all that was cut short when he suddenly blurted out "Shit!" And grabbed Jared roughly by the sleeve to drag him along with him as he started to make his way quickly outside.

"There he is!"

- - -

No fight or argument was put forth from the redhead as the two Turks came straight for him and Rude grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. The situation came as no surprise to the redhead, and he actually expected a little more rough-handling than what he received after he parked the vehicle he un-permissively borrowed not more than a block away so he could make the rest of his trek on foot. He didn't care, though. There was enough of a mixture of emotion going on inside of him over the loss of Tseng, the revelation of Cloud's whereabouts during his absence, among everything else, that there was no room for caring about something so irrelevant as two Turks taking him where he wanted to go anyway.

"Ya takin me ta Rufus?" He muttered, with a slight anger to his tone, after he was pushed forward through the doors by the younger Turk at Rude's side and chuckling about it.

There was no answer from either of them though. Instead, he was escorted forward, in the direction of the elevators, as the wary excess of Shinra employees stepped out of the way. It was obvious something unpleasant was going on, and as lessons long-learned, everyone knew better than to get involved and gave the Turks as wide of a berth as was possible.

Surprisingly though, Reno was rather agreeable during their journey upward, considering the situation and the fact that the man looked like he'd been run through a wringer, which would most-likely raise some rather demanding questions from the unwavering President who awaited him. The man seemed almost like he had a mission of his own, though, making Rude feel more cautious of what was ahead than he originally was. Even Jared seemed to pick up on it and kept his eyes distrustfully on the man as if he wasn't really looking forward to finding out what sort of surprise the troublemaking street-rat had in mind.

The whole situation made their ascent seem much longer than it actually was, and the low, unexpected and eerie chuckle suddenly coming from the redhead as they neared the President's floor only seemed to add to that edge.

However, there wasn't much mystery left for them the moment the elevator door opened. Because, somehow, the wiry little devil managed to slip out of both of their grips and make a run for it.

But he didn't run away though.

He ran straight for Rufus' office and stormed right in as if he had a bone to pick.

And unfortunately, the first words to leave that monster's mouth was loud enough for everyone to hear.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, PUTTING CLOUD IN JAIL OVER SOMETHING SO STUPID!"

_Oh, shit… _Was the only thought that initially ran through Rude's mind, right before it truly sunk in and he buried his head in his hand with a shake of hopeful denial in the event that was sure to follow.

_That son of a bitch 'was' with Cloud._


	20. No More Holding Back

**Chapter 20: No More Holding Back**

* * *

Rufus merely stood there, with a cryptic stance, and the slight hint of a sneer to accompany the coldly, piercing, glare that would have left a chilling bite if it had any physical substance. He would have actually preferred it if Reno was conspiring with the enemy as opposed to what he was certain he'd just heard that maniac ignorantly shout at him. It struck such a deep chord in the man.

Of all the things his father and Hojo did to him in his youth, and all the things he never looked forward to in regards to them, he still never feared them. They affected him, but they never broke him, at least, not in the way they wanted to.

But Cloud…

Cloud was a genuine threat. He threatened to take away the only thing that ever really mattered to the President, the only possession he had left, and Rufus never forgot that the ex-Soldier already took away his Dark Nation. They were the only things that ever meant anything to him, and it was Cloud that seemed to be the only one with the power to strip the man from that which he cared most for.

It was the only thing Rufus was genuinely afraid of.

"I don't think the entire building heard you." He so calmly and casually said, as if the outburst meant nothing to him. But there was a darkness and an almost undetectable shake to what he said, giving the slight hint that, perhaps, he wasn't as unaffected as he was pretending to be. "Perhaps I should persuade Sharin to turn on the global intercom so you can repeat it for _everyone_ to hear."

But Reno wasn't about to let himself be intimidated by the act, even though he was willing to admit that he probably could have asked the question more privately and with more tact, and he really had no idea why it came out as the outburst that it did. But due to the inevitable stubbornness the man possessed, he chose not to give in to second thoughts, and he slammed the door behind him with a loud enough force that it echoed all the way to the other end of the hall, leaving Rude to begin his silent fretting over who was going to kill who on the other side.

"Ya had no right lockin him up like that." Reno hissed, as he crouched and almost seemed as if he was going to start circling the man like the untrustworthy snake that he was.

"Pardon?" Rufus calmly asked, and then he adjusted his sleeve while cocking his brow as if he truly couldn't have cared less. "You expect me to allow a dangerous criminal his freedom simply because you see it fit?" After that, he turned to Reno with a slight snort, before putting his cigarette out and casually asking. "Was he that good of a fuck?"

"You're insane, Rufus."

"Am I to act surprised at that accusation?" Rufus asked, before he lowered his voice to a dangerous purr and narrowed his eyes at the other. "We always recognise our own traits in others."

The pun didn't go unnoticed, as the pompous ass scanned his eyes coldly over to the lunatic before him, almost in a manner of disgust. Then without a warning, Rufus advanced with a force that knocked Reno from his feet and, somehow, had him ending up pinned against the door with a heavy thud with no real recollection on how. "Fuck…" He grunted, as he squirmed to get out of Rufus' strong-hold while yelling. "Let the fuck go' a me!"

"No." With a voice still eerily calm, Rufus' fists twisted into the shoulders of Reno's shirt more tightly, causing the fabric to grip around the redhead's arms in an impairing manner. "After everything I've done for you…" He admitted, with a near choke in his suddenly angry voice. "After everything I've _been_ through for you… You STILL insist on driving me over the EDGE!" And then with a sudden need to control himself, Rufus gripped Reno's shirt once more and tossed him to the middle of his office, where the man stumbled and grabbed onto the desk to keep himself on his feet.

After that, the President brushed his hand through his hair and took a deep breath with his back to the redhead while reminding himself of a more pressing concern. "How did you get out?" He asked, before he turned around and snorted at the realization that he didn't need to ask. The armlet was an obviously perfect place to hide Materia in, and he suddenly advanced again, with a rough grip, to claim the answer to his question. "A gift from Cloud?"

"Would it make ya happy if it was?" Reno spat back, defiantly. "Maybe it'd make ya happy ta know I use it nearly every day so I can spend some quality time with him!"

Despite Rufus' unwavering reserve, he nearly wound up slugging the man before he was rewarded with a smack across his own face when he so disgracefully commented. "Perhaps if I were an idiot, much like yourself, I'd believe that."

"Yer a fuckin asshole! Ya know that?"

"Yes."

- - -

"You think they're gonna kill each other?" Jared asked, while he and Rude simply stood in the spot they hadn't moved from since the moment Reno bolted from their hold.

"I hope not."

Rude seemed to be saying that a lot those days, he suddenly realized, as his hand twitched once more, near his gun, when he heard another slam from the other side of the door. "You Sonuvabitch!" They heard Reno yell from the other side. "Don't think I won't find another fuckin way out!"

After that, the quiet muffle of Rufus' calm voice actually agreed with the man. "I don't doubt that for a second." Then to turn Rude's nerves back on edge there was another small shuffle and a slam before Rufus yelled out from what seemed like he was very close to the door. "You're a Gaiadamned _slut_!"

"I'm betting 50 Gil on Rufus." Jared chirped with a tilt to his head.

All Rude did as a reply, was slowly turn his head to look at the man while hoping for the little shit's sake that he didn't just say what it sounded like he said.

"You really think I'd run off with him? What the fuck do you take me for?" They heard Reno grunt out, while the door shook as if he was leaning, or being held against it. "I know how ya fuckin feel about him!"

"Then why _did_ you run off to him if you knew how I felt?"

"Ta help him… Rufus… There's more goin on than ya know… Gaia… There's somethin ya need ta know…"

"Really."

"Yeah."

"What the hell do they see in each other?" Jared finally asked, and looked up at Rude to see the man was just as much in the dark about that one as he was while the voices became more quiet on the other side and they could no longer hear them.

That was, until they both went pale and failed to notice the small, blonde, female stepping out of the elevator and walking up behind them with a curious look on her face about why there were standing in the hall like two frozen statues. They had no idea she was behind them, as the two voices started to get heated on the other side again. But besides that, they simply weren't prepared to hear what Reno said next.

"TSENG'S DEAD!"

- - -

"I don't fucking believe it." Ten-ji muttered, almost like he was in a trance, as he closed the door in the wake of what Marcus had told him. They arrived hours ago, Marcus and his men, and they spent hours telling him everything that happened. From what he gathered and knew of Vincent, it almost sounded to him like Vincent killed Tseng.

"I don't know whether to punish that idiot or to fucking reward him."

He couldn't have planned _any_ of that better himself. It was almost too perfect to be true.

Of all the people to kill Tseng…

He couldn't help but full-heartedly chuckle over the matter. It was almost enough to make him forget about wanting to own Shinra. However, it still remained in the back of his mind as he strode over to Darius and roughly patted him on the shoulder in semblance of a job well done, even though the other man had nothing to do with it. "This calls for a celebration, Darius."

"You're not disappointed?" The dark man asked, as he pushed himself from the chair to stand next to his friend.

"What? Why?"

"I thought you wanted to see Tseng beg."

"I did." Ten-ji chirped. Then he turned his head up to his friend with a wide grin that Darius hadn't seen for ages and chuckled. "But that was before the half-breed _monster_ took him out."

Oh, it was perfect. All of it was just so perfect. First, he accused Tseng of having a questionable affair with that outcast. Then he used that accusation as the reason to make it appear as if Tseng killed his own father over the discovery between them, and to add the perfect ending to that perfect plan, the outcast returned and broke Tseng out of the Wutain prison where he awaited his termination, making it all seem true… Only to return years later and kill him for no reason whatsoever.

It was absolutely perfect.

"Weren't they lovers?"

"Lovers?" Ten-ji repeated. Then he shook his head with another robust chuckle. He could have sworn he told Darius the story. But maybe not. "Hell, no! Tseng would never touch another man if he was paid." He informed, Then he brushed a loose hair back as he placed his hand on the knob of the door. "But mind you, he was disturbingly close to the freak, almost like he _was _considering it."

"Perfect material for a good story." Darius muttered, as he smiled at the fact that Ten-ji used it for just that.

"Mm." With a simple nod, Ten-ji scanned his eyes over the dark man as he leaned slightly forward, before quieting his tone, as if he were confiding an unknown secret. "Vincent was a very _pretty_ young thing. He almost put Aldrich's handsome face to shame, and to top it off, there were already rumours that the little _lady_ swung both ways. How could I not use any of that? Especially when Tseng had an eye for beauty and kept touching him like he completely forgot he was in the presence of another man."

"Did he?"

"What? Tseng?"

"No. Vincent."

"I'm lost." He admitted and chuckled again. He was so elevated on the high he felt at that moment that he honestly had no idea what his partner and friend was asking about.

"_Did_ Vincent swing both ways?"

"Why the hell would I know?" Ten-ji asked with a shrug.

"Because you generally notice things like that." The Mideelan pointed out, before he got irritated and nudged Ten-ji to hurry up and open the door. After all, he was the first one to notice Aldrich's attraction to Renault when Darius first brought them in, and if it wasn't for Ten-ji pointing it out, Darius would have been completely oblivious to what seemed to be rather obvious once it was brought to his attention.

"Vincent was a hard one to read." The Wutain responded, before flicking his friend's hand away in irritation of his urging him to hurry up and open the damn door. "He acted like he wanted something from Tseng, and even appeared to flirt with a few other men as well. But other than that, I never actually saw him with anyone, and I even saw him turn down a few offers from other males as if he really wasn't into that sort of thing. He was polite about it though. And to top it off, he ran after that scientist's wife and condemned himself from ever being able to have a relationship again."

"So, I guess we'll never know."

With a careless shrug, Ten-ji let out a snort and finally turned to open the door. "Well, as curious as I was over his preferences, I honestly can't say that I really gave a shit one way or the other."

- - -

"Ngh… Leviathan…" Tseng gasped out. "Would you stop that."

"I told you to let me help you." Vincent commented, as he remained on his knees, beside the man, to continue cleaning the gash near his temple. All the while, he debated over whether or not he should use another Cure spell, and thought best about it before he decided a potion might suit the situation better.

"I thought I was fine." His Wutain friend protested, as another dizzy spell swooned over him.

"I told you, you weren't."

After a slightly chastising nudge, Vincent dug into his pack to pull out a vial and handed it to the man while the other protested over not needing it but drinking it anyway. Then after Tseng screwed up his face and dizzily swayed again, Vincent placed his hand against he man's back to steady him and reclaimed the vial. "I honestly did."

"You've lost a lot of blood."

"I thought I could handle it." Tseng explained, as Vincent tilted the man's head and pushed his hair back to study the gash he received when he stubbornly stood and found out, the hard way, that he couldn't.

After that, the gunman smiled with such a subtlety, that it went completely unnoticed, while he picked at some of the dried blood in the other man's hair and made sure the wound was as clean as it could be. "That's something I would have expected the old Tseng to say." He observed. Then he pulled on the man's arm, motioning for him to place it around his shoulder before he wrapped his own arm around the slender Wutain's waist in order to see if he could get him to stand again.

With a shaky chuckle, Tseng finally decided that he wasn't as well as he thought he was and accepted the aid as he was helped to his feet. "I thought we agreed that I simply wasn't as reckless."

Ignoring the smart-assed comment, Vincent quickly adjusted himself to catch Tseng when the man lost his balance again and pulled him into a more secure embrace while making a stab at the man's weight. "You're heavier than you look."

"Maybe you're just not as strong as you thought you were." Tseng spat back, before chuckling again.

Frowning subtly at the man, Vincent adjusted his arm around him again and pulled him closer while debating on whether or not he should put the Turk's pride aside and just carry him. As the way things were at that moment, it was extremely awkward trying to support him and pull him along to the exit he'd found. The Wutain was almost as able to support himself as a drunkard from Sector 7. Not to mention, the giddy side-effect from the pain-killer Vincent gave to him under the Turk's protest wasn't helping matters much either.

Tseng practically _was _like a drunkard from Sector 7.

He simply sighed as a result and lowered his head slightly when Tseng wound up resting his head on his shoulder and admitting that he didn't think he could do it. "I'm sorry." He confessed, and slumped slightly as if he really meant it and decided to give up on making any effort whatsoever for using what little energy he had left. "I don't think I can make it." Then the Wutain closed his eyes and muttered. "Can't we just stay here tonight? Find a way out tomorrow?"

"If Cid comes back, we'll have a better chance of being rescued if he sees us." Vincent explained, as he stood there, strangely still, as if his mind was wandering off. From what he observed the last time he went out to scout the area, all of Ten-ji's helicopters had left, leaving them trapped. And as far as Vincent was concerned, he needed to get Tseng off that island as fast as he could. The man needed medical attention, and Vincent had no more sedatives left.

Even though he really couldn't explain or even understand why Chaos actually saved the Turk's life, there was no guarantee it would happen again. "I'm going to have to carry you." He confessed, with a subtle tightness to his voice. Then he knelt slightly to hook his right arm below the man's knees and lifted him as if the Slender Wutain weighed no more than a young cactuar.

"What about the helicopter I brought?" Tseng asked, as Vincent adjusted him more comfortably in his arms. "Why can't we just take that in the morning?"

Vincent had honestly forgotten about that. But instead of answering the man and being rewarded with more protests, he decided he had more of a reason to make haste. "You need medical attention."

"Do you think you could degrade me any further?"

"I'm not degrading you."

"Yes you are." Tseng complained, in a slightly joking tone and with a slur to his voice, as he rested his head against the ex-Turk's chest and kept his eyes closed. "You're carrying me like a woman."

It was enough to make Vincent stop dead in his tracks. The man was too intoxicated to really know what he was saying. But it was still an insult. In fact, it was an insult that struck a deep chord, considering what they both went through when they were younger. It was easily brushed off though, but if Tseng could be an ass, despite the fact that he couldn't really be held responsible for it, then so could Vincent. So, to teach the man a lesson, he swung him roughly over his shoulder and ignored the pained complaint escaping from his friend's sudden discomfort. "Is that better?"

"No… I'm going to be sick…"

_Leviathan… _

Unfortunately, though, Tseng's warning wasn't the best of warnings.

Nor was it a lie.

- - -

"What the hell do you mean, Tseng is dead?"

The words came out with no real thought, as Rufus stumbled and nearly fell back. All the while, he kept his eyes locked with the vile snake's as the redhead sat on the floor with an uncertain cringe running through him. Gaia… Rufus never thought it would matter to him so much. The last time he thought Tseng was dead was when they all thought the world was ending, and he honestly didn't give the loss anything more than a simple shrug, as he muttered out something along the lines of "I suppose I'll be joining him soon."

But that wasn't the case this time, and suddenly everything Reno had done and said within the last ten, twenty, or maybe even thirty or more minutes didn't seem to matter. Even Cloud was suddenly forgotten.

"What…? How…?"

It was the best he could manage as a speechless vice overtook him, disorienting him from even fully comprehending what he was being told as the venomous creature told him the story with a steadily tightening voice. All the while, Reno felt no need to leave anything that happened out of the picture, unlike the old Reno, and with each new twist and turn, he elaborated on everything as one thought came to him and another scurried down an unknown path.

In all honesty, He was making no sense whatsoever. But from what Rufus could gather, Marcus had shot Cloud, and he was a fucking asshole, Ten-ji masqueraded as a Wutain diplomat who went by the name of Tjen Syn, which was disturbing to say the least, and he still had no idea who the hell Ten-ji really was, and Tseng was eaten… By a monster?

Oh, and Cloud came onto the little devil back in Wutai and kissed Reno and then he was tortured by Marcus. But at that point, Rufus didn't know if Reno was saying that _he _was tortured, or if it was Cloud… or maybe both. Not to mention that goblins attacked him somewhere along the lines and a man with an eye-patch was haunting his dreams and telling him that he killed his own mother. He couldn't quite make out who the Mako addict was, and apparently Reno thought Rufus was a prick for thinking Reno was some kind of untrustworthy whore that couldn't be trusted around Cloud, and he was a fucking asshole for lying to the ex-Soldier, and then putting him in prison over it.

Apparently, he was a piece of shit, which came as no surprise. But unfortunately, he really had no idea why he was deemed as one that time around, because it came somewhere after a whole plethora of irrelevant insights.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

To say Rufus was baffled would have been an understatement.

"Have you been drugged?"

It was really the only viable explanation Rufus could come up with, as he quickly moved forward and grabbed Reno by the jaw to peer into his eyes to see if there was any evidence of his suspicions. Maybe Tseng wasn't dead after all. Maybe Reno had finally taken off with his permanent fishing permit, like his actions always threatened he would one day. Perhaps whatever _really_ happened was simply too much for the fragile little crackpot to handle. However, if that were the case, then Rufus might never know exactly what the hell really happened during Reno's little escapade.

There was no sign of intoxication though, nor was there any trace of blue in those deceiving eyes. "Dear Gaia…" Rufus muttered. "You've finally lost your mind."

"What?" the redhead spat back, before shoving a rough kick into Rufus' ribs and causing the man to stumble back ungracefully. "Weren't ya fuckin listenin ta me?"

Of course he was. Why else would he have come to the conclusion he came to?

- - -

They both knelt there. Tseng was on his hands and knees and uncontrollably chuckling, while wiping his mouth, and Vincent was holding his soiled cloak in his hands, with a surprisingly unreadable expression, as he scraped the half-digested secretions from it with a rock he found nearby. "You should have known better than to throw a wounded man over your shoulder like that." Tseng chastised, with another chuckle, before he abruptly stopped and threw up again.

"I should have known better than to give you that pain-killer." Vincent retorted, somewhat concerned over the cold-sweat Tseng was breaking out into. "You're acting like an idiot."

"I told you I didn't need it."

"You could hardly move." Still concerned, Vincent put his cloak on the ground and crawled over to Tseng to make sure he was going to be all right. "I'm assuming Elena's never seen you like this."

"Why's that?"

"I doubt she would have married you."

"That's uncalled for." Tseng muttered, as Vincent pulled him back and offered the man some more water. "Remember that time we stole my uncle's sake?"

"How could I forget?" The gunman answered, worrying slightly more after he removed his glove and felt Tseng's temperature. Then he pulled the man further back to lean against him as he pulled his shirt back to inspect the reddening wound in his chest. "I think I might need to use another Cure."

"No." Tseng slurred with a childish shake to his head. "I don't really remember much from that night."

"You got drunk and took off all your clothes."

"I did?"

"No." Vincent muttered, and then he frowned slightly and quietly said "Cure" before grabbing onto Tseng as the man grimaced and dug his fingers into his back. "You've got an infection."

"Did you just make a joke?"

"No. It's serious." The gunman replied, and pulled Tseng to lift him again, before grabbing his cloak and awkwardly hanging onto it. "I need to get you to a hospital."

"I meant about me getting drunk and removing my clothes."

"You should be more worried about your condition."

"So, I did?" Tseng asked again, completely oblivious to what was going on as Vincent's pace quickened and they neared the small opening he'd found. After that, Tseng saw the corner of the man's mouth twitch as if he was about to smile. "You did."

"You're delirious." The gunman chastised, as he hurriedly sat the man down for a brief moment so he could assess how he was going to get them both out, and frowned over the first clap of thunder. "I'd never remove my clothes." Then he knelt back down and brushed Tseng's dampening hair back while wishing he never made the bad-humoured attempt in the first place. "I doubt you ever would have either."

After that, he pulled the man back up and frowned slightly when he noticed he was starting to drift away, and made his way out and toward the helicopter as quickly as he could and in hopes that he could avoid the oncoming storm.

- - -

The journey to the infirmary was less than pleasant as Rufus roughly pulled the redhead in tow, and Rude, Jared, and Elena followed with their own unending ocean of dizzying questions in regards to what they overheard. But without any proof though, Rufus wasn't willing to take anything Reno had babbled out as a fact. The man had gone completely mad, and Rufus made certain he wasn't going to add anymore to the already escalating pandemonium he'd already caused by keeping his hand over the ruffian's mouth before pushing him roughly into a chair as he impatiently waited for Erryn to come and take a look at the man.

"Elena..." Rufus started, when she wouldn't take the most obvious of hints to stop asking Reno to explain what he'd seen. "It's getting late, and I'm sure Tifa doesn't want to watch over your daughter for the rest of the night."

After that, he turned to Rude and ordered the man to go with her to make sure she would be all right. It might have been an abnormal thing to come out of Rufus' mouth. But in all honesty, at that point, he just wanted to get rid of them all. "On second thought… Jared…"

"Sir?"

"Perhaps you should go with them as well."

"Nice way of tellin 'em all ta fuck off." Reno pointed out. He couldn't exactly say he was impressed with Rufus' unreasonable denial over the situation. Nor was he impressed with the way he was being roughly treated over it either.

About the only response to come from the frazzled President at that moment, was a rough rub to his temple as if he was warding off one mother of a headache. Then he set his frustrated attention on the Turks who oddly hadn't taken him up on his suggestion and reminded them again, with the greatest attempt at maintaining his professional stance, that he would get to the bottom of it. But in the meantime, they simply couldn't leave Allysia where she was, and Elena shouldn't be left alone. He knew damn-well he wasn't giving them bad advice, despite the fact that he really wasn't concerned about them either. But at the same time, he knew he was right.

"I _suggest_ you all go now."

Then he took a deep breath as the three of them reluctantly walked away and before he prepared himself to step into the room he put Reno in and close the door behind him.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded, as the redhead fumbled around for a toothpick to chew on. "Are you trying to tear down the walls from the inside, simply because you can't come and go as you please?"

"Heh… yeah… I made all that up, cuz I'm tired'a bein locked in yer pretty little cage." Reno spat back, and was rewarded with a smack across the face, before he jumped challengingly to his feet and rubbed at his cheek. Then he pushed the President backwards and nearly smacked him back. But he was blocked by the man's cat-like reflexes and slammed into the examination table behind him. "Fuck… Yer jus like him!" he hissed, as he tried to squirm away. "Ya can't fuckin handle nuthin not goin yer way."

"Just like who?" Rufus asked calmly, while he continued to hold the little demon in his place, as if it took no effort at all.

"Marcus…" Reno answered. "He's like a… clone of ya… or somethin… I already told ya about him."

"You told me nothing that made sense."

"What the fuck is there ta make sense outta?" The redhead screeched. Before he grunted and tried to push himself up for a moment of relief from the hard edge of the table digging into his gut. "I told ya… He's fucked in the head!"

"I see." Rufus casually observed, and continued to stare with cold eyes at the back of the squirming maniac's head. "Now that you put it that way, it makes perfect sense."

"Oh, no ya don't." Reno retorted. "Ya ain't gettin nuthin outta me 'til ya promise ya'll leave Cloud alone."

"Did he put you up to this?"

"I don't fuckin need no one ta put me up ta anythin." The redhead angrily muttered, with another grimace, as Rufus' grip tightened on the back of his neck and he was pushed more forcibly into the table. He'd had enough of everyone putting him up to something. "What ya did was wrong."

"I assume he forgot to mention he attempted to kill me then."

"Like ya did'n provoke it." He managed to mutter out through another grunt, as he tried to pry Rufus' fingers away from him. "Ya fuckin lied ta the guy."

"And why should I have told him the truth?" Rufus purred, as he leaned closer, almost predatorily. "Was there more going on between you two than just that one night?"

"YOU'RE FUCKING PSYCHOTIC!"

"DON'T THINK I DIDN'T SEE THE WAY YOU LOOKED AT HIM AND WHAT YOU DID WHEN YOU BROUGHT HIM WITH YOU TO COME AND HELP US!" Rufus suddenly bellowed, and then he yanked Reno up roughly before pushing him away from him. "YOU'RE FUCKING EX_-LOVER_ MADE _CERTAIN_ I HAD A FRONT-ROW SEAT IN FRONT OF THOSE MONITORS!"

"What the fuck'r ya talkin about?"

"And do you know what I think?" Rufus growled, before he pulled out his gun and aimed it at his greatest poison. "I think you _knew_ I could see it."

"What the fuck did I see in you?" Reno spat back, and pulled out his own gun that Rufus neglected to take away from him. "Were you always this nuts?"

"Shiva…" Came the gasp of a woman's voice, as widened gray eyes stared in shock at what she walked in on. Then, on pure reaction alone, Erryn decided it was best to leave and pretend that she didn't see a damn thing.

"You're not going anywhere." Rufus threatened, stopping the woman dead in her tracks, as she reluctantly stood there while trying to swallow back on the hardening lump rising in her throat. All she knew was that she was called in to check up on Reno. She honestly didn't expect to walk in on the two men holding guns at each other's heads as if they both wanted to kill one another.

"Heh… yeah… I think psycho-boy here wants a fuckin audience."

Neither man took their eyes from the other, as she continued to stand there with a frozen inability to move and a relentlessly pounding heart in her chest. There was no way she could have been witnessing what she was witnessing. They were getting along so well…

"Shiva… No!" She suddenly spat out, as if it wasn't even her that was doing it. Then she moved forward, almost unwillingly but quickly, while raising her voice. "This is a fuckin _hospital_! Not a morgue! If you _men_ want to act like _children_ than I suggest you get the hell out of my infirmary!"

Uncertain about where that outburst had come from and quite aware that it could cost her, her life, she simply couldn't help herself. She'd seen enough in her day to leave her more than certain she didn't want to see anymore.

Oddly enough though, they both listened. But it was practically under a silent protest, as a fiery and icy clash continued between them and they both put their guns away.

"Reno's lost his mind." Rufus coolly insisted, while brushing his bang back and explaining that he wanted her to run tests on him.

At about the same time, Reno retorted. "Look who's fuckin talkin."

- - -

"Do you think he really saw what he thought he saw?" Elena asked, after they'd almost reached their destination. They'd all been unusually quiet for the ride over to Tifa's. In fact, none of them hardly moved or even looked at one another. "Do you think he's really gone crazy?"

"…"

"Which one?" Jared sarcastically asked, as the car slowed to a stop and they proceeded to step out. Both Rufus and Reno looked and sounded like they'd lost it as far as he was concerned.

"Jared." Came Rude's baritone voice, as he set his sight on Tifa, leaning against the doorframe, outside, with a concerned look on her face. "Now's not the time."

After the little warning, while refusing to regard the man, Rude walked toward Tifa with a mirroring concern. He never told her anything about the recent events, making him fear that something else might have gone wrong as well. But the moment he made his way up to her and gave her his usual display of public affection, which was nothing more than a simple peck, he stiffened up and took a deep, disapproving breath, as he stared through the glass of the front entrance at Cloud and Cid.

"What's he doing here?"

"I couldn't turn him away." She answered, with a quiet and apologetic tone. "He's wounded and he's still my friend."

With not much more than a respectful nod, he turned to look at his co-workers and contemplated the repercussions of having them both following and seeing for themselves. He didn't like Cloud. But he loved Tifa almost as equally as he disliked the no-good troublemaker, leaving him in an extremely awkward position. "He can't stay here." He warned, before he attempted to lighten up the fact that what he said just sounded like an order. "Rufus will have him killed."

"I don't know what else to do." Tifa answered with a sigh, and then she bit on her bottom lip while scanning her eyes across Jared and Elena, and then stopping and setting them compassionately on Elena. "There's something you need to know."

"Tseng." Rude answered with a nod. He'd overheard enough of Reno's crazed tale to know that Cid and Cloud were somehow involved, and the fact that they were both sitting there, led him to believe that there was nothing else Tifa could have possibly told them other than what they'd already heard.

- - -

"Nothing more than a few cuts and bruises… he's fine." Erryn informed, as she finished shining the light into Reno's eyes. Then she took a deep breath and rolled her eyes while putting the light on the small tray beside her when Reno started justifying himself to the calming President.

"I'm not attracted ta him."

"Then why are you so obsessed with him."

"I think yer the one that's obsessed, Rufus." Reno muttered, as Erryn gave him a chastising look. She honestly didn't feel like playing referee for the night and feared that she might have to. "Look… all I'm askin is that ya leave him alone." Leaning forward and ignoring the angry glare from the gray eyes above him, Reno rested his forearms on his knees and locked his eyes with Rufus' unwavering coldness. "Let him have his freedom."

"So you can have the freedom to run off with him whenever things get too out of hand for you at home?"

"Fer fuck's sake." The redhead muttered, and slumped back before crossing his arms and stretching out his legs. "There ain't no fuckin reasonin with ya."

"You're the one that can't be reasoned with."

"Shiva." Erryn muttered, with a shake to her head, after she pushed the tray to its rightful place and turned around. "Are you both that dense?" All she really wanted was to leave, actually. But since Rufus wouldn't let her, she couldn't help but get frustrated by the way they were both behaving. "Neither of you can be reasoned with!"

Even though it appeared as though her words sunk in slightly, since they both shifted uncomfortably at the revelation, it didn't really seem to have a lasting effect. However, it did reward her with a different response that she had mixed feelings about. "You may go." Rufus said, leaving her somewhat relieved, yet concerned about leaving them both alone together.

"So, is that what ya think happened?" Erryn heard Reno ask, just before she closed the door, causing her to cringe once more, before she caught a glimpse of Reeve near the end of the hall and felt he'd be better company. "Ya think I jus felt the sudden urge ta run off an compare results before makin my final decision on which psycho-blonde I'd like ta spend the rest'a my fuckin life with?"

"I don't know why you left." Rufus admitted, with a strange quiet to his voice. Then he leaned against the table and adjusted his cuff to keep his mind occupied from showing any emotions.

"I told ya why… I told ya yer… clone-thing…"

"He's _not_ my _clone_." Rufus said with a sudden edge, catching the redhead's attention and causing him to sit forward with a suddenly curious tilt to his head as he narrowed his eyes.

"Ya know somethin… don't ya." Reno observed, while Rufus' eyes took on a mood he couldn't quite read and they both simply kept them locked to one another for a long, contemplating, moment before Rufus reluctantly answered with a slight sneer.

"He's my brother."

Then after the final admittance, followed by Reno's shocked silence, it seemed to sink in even more, and Rufus walked casually up to Reno and removed the armlet from his wrist and handed him a keycard.

"Go wherever you want." He said coldly, while Reno stared at him in confusion and turned the card in his hand. After that, Rufus took a deep breath and placed his hand on the man's face so he could stroke his cheek with his thumb. "I was mad to ever think I could make things work between us."

The hardening lump in Reno's throat kept him from speaking. It kept him from asking what he didn't know how to ask, and he simply watched the President walk away and place his hand on the handle of the door while keeping his head down.

"I'd like to believe you'll come home." Rufus quietly said, as if he was having a hard time speaking at that moment. "I'm hoping you will." With a strange and disquieted admittance, The President kept his eyes away from the other's while tapping his fingers on the handle to try and occupy his mind from what he was saying. "But I simply can't keep trying to force you to do it."

Then he turned with reflective eyes and grinned an uncharacteristically uncertain grin. "I'll never know where I stand if I do." After that he snorted out a brief chuckle and waved his hand in the air above him, as if he was pointing out where his apartment was. And with a nod, he lowered his eyes again, and proceeded to leave while simultaneously informing that he'd leave Cloud alone. "You can go to him if you want to."

And Rufus would simply have to accept that he'd lost.

- - -

"Fuck, Elena… I'm sorry." Cid muttered, as his discomfort grew around the woman. He really wasn't the best when it came to comforting people, and he honestly had no idea how to react or what to say. "But that's what happened." Then he explained that he'd come to drop Cloud off before going back and searching for survivors, making it clear that there was a chance the Turk could still be alive, possibly…

"Reno wasn't making it up…" She muttered. She was as pale to the others as she felt to herself at that moment, and she simply stood there with her hands clasped in front of her abdomen while she stared into space. "Dear Gaia…"

"…"

Rude was also speechless, and much like Cid, dealing with emotions wasn't exactly an inherent gift he possessed either. But he knew enough to pull her by the opposite shoulder and into a comforting hold. Or maybe he didn't know, because the action only seemed to release her emotions in a way that he really didn't know how to deal with. For some strange reason, Reno was always the better one at comforting her than he was. But at that moment, it was either Rude or Jared, and Jared seemed more content to simply blend in, quietly, with the walls more than anything else.

It was an awkward moment that only seemed to deaden in its weight until Cid's radio he always kept with him started to kick in with a broken and hard-to-hear signal. At first, everyone simply froze.

"Ts…ng….cri…al… Bo… V…lage… Sh-ra… n… swer…"

At the sound of the signal, and while Cid pulled out his radio to stare at in with an odd confusion, Rude immediately let go of Elena and darted forward to grab it out of Cid's hand, ignoring the fact that she'd stumbled from the unexpected loss of balance, and demanded. "Is that Vincent?"

"Fuckin sounds like him!"

"Vincent!" Rude yelled into the radio. "Can you hear me?"

"af…ative… storm… Nor…n… cont…nent… Tseng… i…jured…crit…cal… n… time…"

"Shit." Rude muttered to himself, before he hit the button again. "You're breaking up… Did you just say Tseng's alive?"

"Y-s… B… Cri… cal… t-ing… B-n… lage."

"I think he's saying he's taking him to Bone Village." Cid muttered, and attempted to take his radio back. But the large Turk would have nothing to do with that.

"… I can hardly make you out… Are you taking him to Bone Village?"

"Af…mative… n… ime… M-gar…"

"Shit." Rude muttered again, to himself. Then he removed his shades and met with Tifa's compassionate eyes and nodded. "Cid…" he started, as he put his shades back on and turned to face the man. "It sounds like Tseng's critical. Can you take Elena to Bone Village?"

Just as the old pilot nodded and started to get up, Elena felt the need to point out an important fact that seemed to be forgotten. "What about Allysia?"

"I'll watch her." Rude informed. Then he nudged her to hurry up and follow Cid while he explained. "I think it would be best if it's only you that goes for now. I'll take responsibility if Rufus has a problem with it."

"Are you sure?" She asked with a slight astonishment. "He's not in the best of moods right now… What if he gets angry?"

"I'll deal with it."

With a strong resolve to his tone, he nodded at Tifa again as her cue to retrieve Elena's daughter and informed Jared to remain behind to ensure that Cloud stayed where he was, not because he had any intention to turn the man in, however. It was more or less the opposite.

"Where's my mommy going?"

"She has to work." Tifa answered, hoping it was an acceptable explanation to everyone, as Elena ran up to quickly give her daughter an apologetic kiss on the cheek before running off with Cid. Elena was too frazzled to really know what she was doing, and Tifa really didn't know what else to tell the little girl in regards to the matter.

There was simply too much confusion.

"Thanks." Rude quietly said, in appreciation, as he picked the little girl up and gave Tifa a small peck on the lips before apologizing for everything. Then he turned to leave and pulled his PHS out of his pocket to call Rufus and inform him that Reno wasn't making anything up, but that Tseng wasn't exactly dead either. He knew he had to choose his words carefully though. He hadn't forgotten that it was the Head Turk's daughter he was carrying to the car and strapping safely into the back seat as he spoke.

- - -

With all the commotion, no one really heard the subtle sound of something falling to the floor before Rude left. It wasn't until Tifa took another careful look at Cloud's wounds, and Jared took up a spot at the counter, that the small object caught the corner of her eye and she wondered what it was. And with a tilt to her head, she walked over to it while Jared curiously caught her reflection in the glass behind the bar and turned on his stool to watch her bend down and pick up the small, velvet case.

At first, she wondered where it came from. The case was a typically familiar sort of case, obviously the packaging to one type of jewellery or another. But she couldn't recall it being there earlier and wondered how she could have overlooked it.

"Why don't you open it?" Jared encouraged, as Cloud leaned over the bar to see what was going on.

"Hm?" Why would she want to do that?

"He went through a lot of trouble picking it out for you." He explained, and then he stood up and walked over to her while taking note of her silence. "He was waiting for the right moment. But the right moment never came."

"The right… moment?" She asked, somewhat afraid that he wasn't talking about what it sounded like he was talking about, and too scared to jump to the wrong conclusion.

"Yeah." He answered, before he knelt down and took the case from her to open it and hand it back. "He wanted it to be perfect… flawless… like the woman he wanted to give it to. But he loves you too much to simply understand that the environment shouldn't matter."

She was speechless…

All that time, she thought he was going to break up with her…

"He wants to spend the rest of his life with you, Tifa. He just doesn't know how to let you know."

Dear Gaia…

She didn't know what else to do but cry over the matter.

- - -

After simply remaining where he sat in the infirmary, for the longest time, Reno finally got up with a sigh and made his way up to Rufus' apartment. He stood there for a while, doing nothing more than staring at the solid barrier between him and that which he was unsure of, before he finally slid the card through in hopes that it wasn't some kind of twisted ploy he was in the middle of.

Then once he closed the door softly behind him and leaned against it with a dreadful uncertainty, Rufus walked out of the kitchen while closing his PHS and clearly informed. "I'm going to Bone Village tomorrow." Then he commenced on a path that led straight to his bedroom door and ignored Reno's presence completely. But he paused for a moment when he heard the man finally speak.

"I don't know what I did or didn't do." Reno explained, to the back of Rufus' lowered head. "All I know is what I feel."

Rufus didn't say a word in reply though. In all honesty, he was too afraid of what the answer was going to be. So, instead, all he did was motion his right hand toward the guest room before opening his own and disappearing behind it where he quietly muttered to himself. "Take your time."


	21. Where to Go From Here

**Chapter 21: Where to Go From Here**

* * *

With a shake to her head, Tifa wiped at her tear-stained cheeks and closed the case to hand the ring back to Jared. Seeing it and simply knowing about it was enough to reinforce what she felt for the silent Turk she'd come to love over the years, and she felt that if it meant that much to the man that she simply didn't want to ruin it for him. "Don't let him know I know." She said, and noted the confused look on Jared's face when he reluctantly took it from her hand. 

"If it to means that much to him, I can wait."

- - -

When Vincent landed the helicopter near Bone Village, he quickly grabbed his cloak and stepped out to retrieve the unconscious Turk while shaking his head to encourage as much hair as possible to cover his unnatural appearance. He couldn't help but feel slightly naked without the high mantle to hide even more behind, but at that moment, he had more pressing concerns as the other man slightly stirred and let out a small grimacing complaint from the unavoidable movements.

In all of his years, he'd never seen an infection spread the way it was spreading within the man and began to worry that it had something to do with the possible bacteria Chaos might have been carrying when it dug the bullet out. And he was still uncertain as to why the creature even made such an effort in the first place, since it had been his own personal tormentor ever since the day he was cursed with Chaos' presence. As far back as he could remember, the only other person that Chaos ever refrained from attacking was Lucrecia, and as far as he knew, it was only because she bestowed him with some type of Materia that allowed him a small amount of control over it.

But even what she did for him managed to dissipate as Chaos' will grew stronger over the years and threatened to consume every last semblance of humanity the man had left.

"Dear Gaia." One of the volunteers exclaimed, as he saw the gunman carrying an obviously wounded Turk into the small site made up of nothing more than scattered tents and well-placed camp-fires to keep the place as warm and dry as was possible. "What happened?"

"He was shot." Vincent explained, while he kept his head down and placed the man on the make-shift cot he was guided to. "It's become infected."

"How long ago was he shot?"

"Hours."

"And it's infected?"

Without answering, Vincent simply remained by the man's side and held onto his hand as the staff quickly came to their aid with an Intravenous stand and a tray full of antibiotics and syringes.

"Where's the infection?" One of the men asked, who appeared to be a doctor, and as a manner of compliance, Vincent pulled back the man's soiled shirt to reveal the wound where the redness had grown at an alarming rate and reddish lines running from it had begun to appear.

There was no time to run tests, nor was there an immediate need. The Turk's condition was obvious, and not a moment was wasted after the doctor nodded and his aid quickly prepared a solution to hook the wounded man up with. All the while, Vincent refused to leave Tseng's side, growing more concerned, as another slight and complaining groan escaped from the slender man. However, at the same time, he was silently thankful that the man was conscious enough to do so.

Vincent kept mostly quiet though, during the time they graced his presence with their company, and he only answered questions with simple sentences that consisted of no more than a few words at best. Even when they took the samples to find out what they were dealing with, he never asked any questions of his own and appeared to be trying to avoid conversation as if he feared it would draw attention to himself.

But his silence seemed to reward him the opposite as he kept his head down and ignored the curious stares at the unnatural paleness of his skin. It wasn't until they were finally left alone that he finally spoke. Only, it wasn't to the staff, and he didn't really say too much. It was more or less an attempt to try and convince himself that Tseng would be just fine before he leaned slightly over the Turk and brushed the man's hair back in a caring manner while still hanging onto his hand with the other.

"Leviathan." Tseng weakly slurred, as he came and left from a wavering consciousness. "You're skin's like ice."

It was, and he quickly pulled his hands away as if he was ashamed of it before placing his gloves back on and simply sitting there and staring at the paling man before him. It was like a curse, and he simply couldn't offer the warmth that he wished he could.

It would be okay though, he told himself.

It had to be.

- - -

Over a month had passed.

Tseng's condition stabilized and improved, and Vincent managed to avoid every sign of life shortly thereafter. The only evidence that he might have still been around were the rumours of a ghostly figure that visited the Turk during the nights and when Elena was called to return to Shinra. But whenever she came back to visit her husband, the mysterious gunfighter was never anywhere to be seen.

The cause to Tseng's infection turned out to not really be an infection at all. It was a rare type of toxin they'd never encountered before. But after the first batch of tests revealed the state of the man's illness, it was easily combated with aggressive and consistent treatments that Tseng had to undergo for the duration of several weeks. No one blamed Vincent for the mishap though. But they did all suspect it had something to do with him. However, there was never any proof, since Chaos was a creature that even Hojo never really took the time to thoroughly study, and no one really believed that the turn of events was intentional.

Despite the fact that Tseng's health was slowly returning to him as hoped, Rufus felt it would be best to leave him where he was. He felt that if they were correct in their assumption about being watched by the enemy, then the enemy may have believed, as much as they did at first, that his first in command was dead. And with that thought in mind, it only seemed logical to leave things that way in the off-chance that there might be some advantage in playing out the charade.

As a result, Elena and Allysia remained at the Shinra Tower and Tseng remained in Bone Village, with only the occasional visits that Rufus allowed from his loved ones in order to avoid suspicion. But Rufus wasn't the type to leave anything to fate though, and he wound up taking the small risk of sending his own doctor to stay with the man until his health was guaranteed to stay with him. It was such a small risk though, that it hardly seemed like any risk at all.

However, much of Rufus' final decision on the matter was based on more than just the simple theory that involved the eyes and ears of his enemy. It had to do with everything else he found out after Tseng was well enough to talk and Rufus went out of his way to make more than one special trip to see the man. Everything was confirmed, along with the fact that the roots to Tseng's traitorous mark had much to do with his uncle, whom he reluctantly named as Ten-ji.

It turned out that Tseng was never hired by Boris as a Turk, nor even a guardian to start out with. He was hired as a private informant into Wutain affairs, and only granted a life within Shinra for the whereabouts of his uncle's bases. Being Rufus' guardian hadn't even been given thought yet. And as a matter of fact, Tseng was offered amnesty from his own people, if he would have been so kind as to eliminate the young Shinra heirs before they matured.

But plans changed, and what Tseng left out was that it was Vincent who originally abducted the twins after he and Tseng had a falling out in regards to the matter. He thought that if he could get the children out of the way for a long enough duration, then perhaps he could buy enough time to instil some reason into his stubborn-willed, honour-infected, friend by reminding him that his own people tried to kill him.

Vincent never meant to force Tseng to turn on his people, but he couldn't allow Tseng to fall victim to them again either. There was no way the incident would have ever been easily forgotten, considering Tseng's father was a well-respected diplomat and Vincent never openly denied that he and Tseng were lovers.

But abducting the twins wasn't the best of plans though, nor was it well-thought out. Unfortunately, it was much like the many other plans Vincent had in those days, where everything backfired on him and everyone else involved, and the people he thought he could entrust the children to came up with a plan of their own.

As a matter of fact, Tseng was certain it was best to leave that part out, considering there was little relevance to Vincent's involvement in the end, despite the fact that he was the one responsible for the whole mess to begin with.

But apparently, Rufus had already heard the second half, right up until the point to where Ten-ji wound up raising his brother, which at that time, everyone thought was dead. And from there, Tseng eventually wound up with the guardianship of the only remaining Shinra heir bestowed upon him when Boris decided he was disappointed with the son he felt he overpaid for. He figured that with Tseng being a _Wutain_ assassin at heart that he probably couldn't be trusted and might just turn on him, by eventually killing the boy.

Little did he know, though, that Tseng probably would have if circumstances had been different. However, it was Boris' disturbing actions toward the child that led Tseng to wind up thinking, that perhaps it wasn't the boy he should have been planning on killing.

Right from the start, Boris knew there was something wrong with what he called the _abomination_. At least, that was how he put it. "He's too feminine." He complained, and wound up not wanting to even look at the disappointment more and more, leaving Tseng to have to tend to him more and more, alongside his intensive training as a rookie in the Turks. It was a trying time for the Wutain in those days. But he never showed it, and in time, Rufus grew on him and he wound up genuinely caring about the boy and raising him as if he were his own. He even found himself looking forward to seeing the young child and fretting over his well-being whenever he was sent away.

He also wound up being driven ill when he first discovered the boy in Hojo's lab and started a fight with both Boris and Hojo as he held the limp and soaked child in his arms, threatening to take him away from that place. But he knew there was nowhere he could really go, and perhaps it was best if he remained in compliance so he could remain and care for the boy. Otherwise, he would have only succeeded in getting himself killed, and then there'd be no one to tend to Rufus since the boy's mother was rarely in the right frame of mind, particularly after she took to drinking herself as far away from reality as she possibly could.

Back in those days, Rufus was initially used as a test subject for the enhancements Boris wanted made to himself, which was the reason he had the strength he had. It was unimportant to the President that his son suffered for his own advancements. He didn't even care about the pathetic state that it drove his wife to, because as far as he was concerned, he had no son, nor did he even have a wife. They were both lost to him the day his _real_ son was taken , and whatever that _thing_ was that returned to him, wasn't even worthy enough to be deemed as a burden.

But Rufus was smart though, he was intelligent and possessed an above-average IQ. Despite the fact that, as he matured, he'd have nothing to do with women and preferred to spend his free time taking pictures and yanking out stray hairs of a certain red-headed Turk, or even watching him on the surveillance as a way to pass time, the boy had an impeccable talent for making money and investing it. When it came to numbers, no accountant within Shinra could compete with him, and he was cold and unafraid to terminate an employee should they step out of line. It was one of the few qualities that Boris actually saw as worthy in his son, and he wound up using the boy's menacing fear-tactics to his own advantage.

But it wasn't enough for Boris to want to keep him around though. Rufus was still nothing more than an embarrassment that he constantly had to set in line, and the murderous mishaps that started to take place became somewhat of a concern as the man continuously had to cover them up and keep them from the press.

Though, by that time, the experiments he'd authorized on the boy, no more for his own sake, but more for Hojo to simply use until he was worn down to nothing, had finally started to take their toll. Rufus became deathly ill and only remained alive because Hojo felt he still had some use. But if Rufus actually made it to thirty, Hojo had told Boris, he'd give up science and auction his lab.

Some of it was more memory than it was what Tseng was saying. But it all seemed relative enough to simply help Rufus understand where his place was in life…

Nowhere.

- - -

It had been over a month…

Everything was quiet, as if nothing ever happened. There was no sign of Marcus or Ten-ji, and not even a hint that they ever existed.

Reeve came up with a device that located and terminated all of the small cameras, or at the very least, most of them, and after the initial disposal of what they found, nothing else appeared to arise in compensation of the matter. Though there were still concerns over the fear that they might have still been missing something.

And during all that time, Rufus spoke to no one; not even Reno.

Neither Rufus nor Reno slept, nor did they even so much as glance at one another. They simply grabbed what they wanted to grab when they were hungry, and they simply lived as they lived before they'd ever wound up together, despite the fact that they were still living together. But unlike before, Reno hardly left the apartment, and Rufus hardly entered it.

No guards were assigned to Reno since his admittance to spending some time with Cloud and proving he could come and go as he pleased, and he was treated as if he simply didn't exist. About the only attention he received from anyone were the genuine concerns from Rude and Elena, and the occasional glares from Jared and Erryn. But the concerns were more over his own well-being than they were over what type of trouble he was going to get into next.

During the days, Rufus would simply do what he always did; he drowned himself in his paperwork. But he found he was having difficulty concentrating, since he kept side-tracking himself and trying to see if he could find anything else out about the brother he never knew he had. He also became obsessed with watching Reno from afar again, like when he was younger. However, his reason was slightly different than it was in the past. Reno had made things sound like Marcus had visited him on occasion, masquerading as Rufus, and Rufus couldn't help but actually want to see it for himself. In fact, a part of him even wanted to meet his lover's tormentor…

If he could even refer to Reno as such anymore.

During the nights Rufus would lay awake in his room with his eyes open, staring into the darkness until his sight would focus on the subtle patterns of the wall or the ceiling. He'd simply lay there with the same emptiness he was sure was significant to him, somehow. He couldn't help himself from the bitterness he was succumbing to, and as far as he was concerned, Tseng could rot, Shinra could rot, and Reno could…

Perhaps it would have been best if Reno never even existed.

Or better yet…

Perhaps it would have been even better if it was Rufus that never existed. He was nothing but a shadow of what could have been anyway.

Maybe his father was right, and _nothing_ had more significance than the sadistic son of a bitch was even capable of realizing.

But Rufus wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep, because neither could Reno.

Reno spent his nights a little differently though, and for the first time in a long time, his sleepless nights had nothing to do with his usual nightmares.

Day after day of tired eyes and migraines, he went through files, both on paper and on screen. The more he discovered, the less he wanted to know. But he couldn't stop himself.

He couldn't stop himself from finding out what went wrong in his life, besides the obvious fact that he was born. He found his adoption files, and whatever records he could dig up in regards to what was done to him in the Nibelheim labs. He even found his criminal records and hospital files, and realized that a certain redhead was a great part of his life up until that point. In fact, it almost looked to Reno like they were lovers. After that, he found even more disturbing files on things he was suspect or pardoned for. And eventually, he managed to work his way up to where his and Rufus' lives overlapped, and where he discovered Rufus was ill and how he was a part of saving him from that illness.

He also came to discover the other things involved, as well, along with why he suddenly realized that Erryn's cold attitude toward him was justified, and the more detailed events of what Kurn had done to him, which led him to being in stasis for the duration of five years.

Then, during that time, he missed out on watching Rufus get better, and Rude's and Tifa's relationship evolve. He missed out on watching Allysia grow up, and he missed out on simply being a part of all of their lives as if his presence never really mattered in the first place.

He began to think that even if he did remember, there'd still be that five-year hole that he'd never be able to fill in. About the only thing he could find good about it was that he and Rufus were closer in age because of it.

But what did that matter? He thought, as he rubbed at his temple and turned to stare at Rufus' door, and then he snorted and commenced to shaking his leg as he was before.

From everything he'd read and everything he'd awakened to, it was all just a joke.

And with that thought, he rested his head in his hand and frowned at the corner of his mouth while he traced the keys on his laptop. Then he took another drag from his cigarette and double-clicked on a picture of Rufus, from over five years earlier, and traced his fingers over the younger man's features.

Rufus didn't even look happy then. He looked cold and empty, but with a slight hint of sadness, much like how Reno found himself feeling. He understood where most of it came from though, after everything he'd read and heard Tseng say about the man, his past, and his father, there was really no reason for Rufus to be anything but what he portrayed. The sad part, though, was that Reno understood more of where Rufus was coming from than where he, himself, was coming from.

- - -

He never heard Rufus open the door, nor did he hear it close softly behind him. So it would stand to reason that he never saw the man tilt his head and simply watch him as he ran his fingers over the image in front of him. It was enough to make Rufus want to turn back around and return from where he came.

But he'd wasted too much time staring, and Reno caught him through the corner of his eye when he leaned back to brush some of the stray ashes he'd tapped onto his keyboard away. Then he simply snorted in a sarcastic manner, and that was Rufus' cue to go ahead and make his way to the kitchen like he originally planned to do. He was tired of not sleeping, and decided that he would simply drink himself to sleep that night.

"Yer hair was more golden." Reno attempted, as his voice came out in heavy rasp while the younger man walked by and then stopped. It was the first time Reno had spoken to him since their disagreement. "It's more ashy now… like yer startin ta go gray…"

At that comment, Rufus simply raised his brow and brushed his hand through his bang, before deciding he'd stick to his original plan. "Well I suppose we all can't have the flawless perfection that is yours."

The sarcasm was dully noted, and Reno simply shook his head, regretting that he said anything at all. "Did'n mean it like that." He muttered, and decided he'd take the laptop into his room so he wouldn't be in Rufus's way. Why even bother? The redhead thought, as he snuffed out his cigarette and stood. Whatever he and Rufus might have shared at one time was obviously lost to them, and they were both simply wasting time waiting out inevitable. "I'm gonna see if I can find a place in town… Get outta yer hair."

"How will you afford it?"

The question didn't come out in Rufus' usual pompous way, and it stopped the redhead in his tracks as he stood there with the closed laptop under his arm. Did he actually detect a hint of concern in the man's voice? "Dunno." He muttered, and thoughtlessly ran his fingers along the edge of the laptop while staring at the floor, before awkwardly shrugging. "Figured I'd find a job or somethin."

"I'd prefer it if you stayed here."

"What for?" Reno asked. Then he snorted and turned to face the man with a slight hurt and confusion in his eyes. "Ya made it quite clear ya don't want me around."

"I never said that."

With another sarcastic snort, he motioned his hand at the tired man who simply remained under the frame between the kitchen and the sitting room. "That goes without sayin." He pointed out. "Ya actually never said _nothin_… figured I could jus read between the lines on this one."

There was no way to argue with what Reno pointed out, and Rufus suddenly feared he'd made a huge mistake. But in his defence he felt the need to also point out the fact that he wasn't the only one. "Neither have you." He reminded, and then he pushed himself away from the frame to stand in front of the man.

"Thought ya did'n want me to." The redhead admitted, in a small mutter, as he shifted his eyes to the side in uncertainty and the blonde moved closer to him with a slight reluctance.

"Perhaps I'd forgotten that you're simply not the same person you used to be." Rufus pointed out. It was more of a verbal thought than an explanation, and he wound up bending his knees slightly to catch the redhead's gaze before placing his hand on his cheek to guide his attention toward himself. Then he ran his eyes cautiously over his face in a quiet study. "You look so much the same… Like not a day had passed."

Then he lightly ran his ring finger along Reno's left scar and continued with his distant-sounding observations. "You even possess the same temperament… the same uncertainties." As he contemplated his thoughts, Rufus' eyes followed where his fingers led and traced the delicate features he adored so much. "It's as if you were simply frozen in time while the rest of us moved on." Upon that admittance, the words sunk in and he moved his hand to brush the red strands away from those beautifully deceptive eyes while he wished he could avoid that fact.

"You're hair is different though, much softer." He continued, before he ran his fingers down the strands and pushed the length behind the man's shoulders. "You don't fuss over it like you used to." He pointed out, and then he shook one of the loose strands he'd collected from his hand after realizing he had no pockets to place it in, before he admitted with a shy-seeming smile and a slight tilt to his head. "Though I quite like the way it looks."

He almost felt shaky, much like the tremble he could feel in the lost soul before him. But he continued, despite the strange way the admittance was making him feel, and he even let out a short and nervous chuckle before moving even closer. "But you still dress the same." He managed, and ran his other hand along the man's collar as his eyes wandered to the exposed chest. "It might not be the uniform you used to wear. But you've chosen the same colours and style."

"I find myself wanting to believe it's because you actually remember something." He pointed out, under his breath, and then he let out a deep sigh and adjusted the crookedness of the man's shirt before attempting to read into those green eyes that stared back at him with the same uncertainty he felt. "It's frustrating."

"Where were we?" Reno asked, with a choky-sounding rasp that forced him to clear his throat. "You and I?"

"I'm afraid I never really knew."

With an uncertain bite to his lower lip, Reno subtly nodded as he returned the same study. "Where would ya like us ta be?"

"Same place I've always wanted." Rufus admitted, while lightly cocking his brow and dropping his eyes back to Reno's torso where his focus went distant. He suddenly couldn't help but come to the conclusion that the only reason he could ever openly admit to anything in regards to the man was simply because Reno never could. In a pathetic sort of way, the realization made him aware that he may have been doing it, and always did it, in hopes that he could get Reno to admit to something too.

But, perhaps it was a lost cause.

He was at a point to where he was almost ready to give up, regardless of the fact that he couldn't let go. Like everything everyone had ever told him and warned him about, even Aldrich, there was no way Reno would ever be the type to ever give in. It simply wasn't in the man's nature to really care.

He couldn't help but wonder why he was so lost in his own resolve and his own desires that he honestly thought he could change that. He couldn't help but feel lost and pathetic inside as those thoughts plagued him, despite what he tried to make himself believe. He didn't even notice the fact that Reno simply let go of the laptop he was holding and ignored the fact that it could have been damaged by the fall as Rufus quietly contemplated matters that shouldn't have ever mattered.

His mind must have wondered, somewhere in between the moment that the redhead quickly breathed "I never told you? Did I?" and the moment he let himself willingly be devoured by the intoxicating poison of Reno's kiss.

He wasn't even truly aware of what was happening when he dumbly asked "Told me what?" when he was released for a breath of air and held the way he always wanted to be.

"That you're already there." Came the rasp, as a chin rested into the crook of his neck and a tremble ran through the body that held him while caressing the silk fabric against his back.

Reno wanted to tell him.

He even tried to tell him.

But Rufus simply wouldn't let him.

-

"_All I know is what I feel."_

-

And Reno probably would have said it then and there, in person that time, and not on a recording where he thought he'd never have to face the fact that he'd said it, or even have to follow through.

It left Rufus to realize that he never wanted to know, because the place he was after was a horrible place with a horrible feeling, and he simply didn't want to recognise it. It was a place riddled with nothing but hurt, jealousy, and relentless doubt.

Was that what it was supposed to feel like? Was he supposed to love what that felt like?

And if not, then why did he love it so much?

When he muttered out "Fuck me," like he always did in the midst of tangled tongues, after they both succumbed to hungrily exploring the other and sharing whatever bitter saliva they both possessed, was it supposed to make sense to him when Reno shook his head while guiding him back to his room?

How often did that happen? Rufus wondered, even though he allowed the man to guide him somewhere to the depths of a place never really known to him. Didn't they usually just drop like animals and get it out of the way like it generally meant nothing, despite the fact that it always meant something to him?

And why, for the love of Gaia, was Reno being gentle and guiding him back, on the bed of all places, as if he was genuinely concerned for Rufus' well-being and comfort?

"I ain't gonna fuck ya." The redhead whispered into his ear, leaving him more confused than he already was, before careful lips and tongue trailed down his torso, accompanied by soft and exploring touches as if they were being savoured. And did he actually hear him say something about _fucking_ him being degrading before the heat of his mouth wrapped itself around him as if it was starved, and fingers motioned within him as if they actually cared about not being too rough.

He couldn't help but escape with what little was left him, while unfettered hands found themselves tangled in an ocean of crimson that ran across their bodies and sheets like rivers of blood. There was no point in holding back the sound caught in his throat as the otherworldly oddity, known as Reno, shared something incredibly rare with him.

And did Reno actually wipe his mouth and take a drink from Rufus' water at the bedside to cleanse the taste away before pressing his lips back to his and then gently guiding himself into a heated and wanting embrace, encouraging Rufus to gasp more out of comforted desire than out of pain, as his hands ran down toned muscles and motions began like gentle waves?

It was careful and steady at first, almost too intoxicating, before the pace quickened as sheer instincts took over and dictated how things should really be. But it still wasn't the same as it usually was. It was as if something other than themselves was the guide, and it seemed to know more about what they both really needed than either of them, as it helped them both find release through the aid of the other.

"I can't help but feel…" Reno muttered, softly into his ear when it was all over and done with. "That ya've always meant somethin ta me."

Perhaps what he said meant more to the satisfied President than a few shallow words that anyone could have said and meant nothing by. And perhaps the actions spoke more clearly, leaving them both content enough to simply remain locked in that embrace where their shared emptiness actually filled up with something neither of them were really familiar with.

Neither of them moved nor separated after that though, nor were any more words exchanged as they both did nothing more than simply stroke the other in their own fashion of tortured adoration that even they didn't fully understand. They didn't even look at one another. Reno simply remained atop the man, with his eyes closed and his nose and light breaths caressing the fine hairs on Rufus' neck, and Rufus' simply kept his hand rested in the tangles of Reno's hair as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

All the while, Rufus tried, with the greatest of desires, to stop asking himself if he could trust the man.

- - -

"_I think it's time you made yourself scarce." Aldrich said, with a casual, wolf-like, grin as he pulled Adrienne's naked girlfriend off of Marcus' "The man's blood has hardly grown cold."_

_Then he chuckled with a slight amusement as the woman hurriedly gathered her clothing and ran out of the young Shinra's room with a mixture of fear and embarrassment._

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" Marcus angrily demanded, as he quickly grabbed his sheet to cover himself and sat up._

"_I thought it might be fun to do as you do." The redhead casually commented, after he quickly assessed the half-naked form before him and smirked bitterly at the fact that the man looked exactly like his vile brother._

"_What the hell is that supposed mean?"_

"_It means that you seem to derive 'pleasure' from walking into 'my' room whenever 'you' see it fit." He explained, while he moved his attention with a slight disgust over the pornographic images of various women the man had plastered to his walls. "So, I decided I'd find out what the appeal was by trying it out for myself for a change."As if he was bored, he let out a sigh, and picked up a frame with a picture of another woman in it before simply dropping it to the floor where he stood, and then seating himself down on the only chair in the young Shinra's room._

_At that, Marcus spat back with a cold accusation in his tone. "I suppose the 'timing' had nothing to do with it." _

"_And I suppose you're not telling me Adrienne was 'dead' had some substance to it." Aldrich answered, sounding just as bored as he looked. Then he sat forward and adjusted his collar to hide a purplish bruise on his neck before turning his attention back to Marcus with a frightful accusation in his eye. "I'm curious about that, by the way."_

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you actually sound bothered by it." With a sarcastic snort, Marcus wrapped the sheet more securely around his waist and got up to clean the broken glass from the frame that Aldrich ignorantly dropped, and knelt with his back to him._

"_Hm…" Aldrich mumbled, as a sneer played across his lips. "And I guess I could say that you're actually 'thrilled' about it… seeing as you've gotten open access to his girlfriend now."_

_For a moment, Marcus simply ignored the man and continued to brush the shards into a pile before kneeling back on his heels to see what he could openly find to collect them on. "Like that should matter to you." Came a low accusation that surprised even him, as his tone went sickly bitter. "I think I've walked in enough times to see you on your knees in front of that 'trash-heap' that I'm thinking your reason for being here has nothing to do with your concern for his girlfriend."_

"_Stress relief." Aldrich muttered, before he pulled out his knife and quietly pointed it at the back of Marcus' head without him knowing. "Long trips… No women… What's a horny drunk to do?"_

"_Get his best friend to go down on him since that's about all he 'can' do."_

"_Jealous?" Aldrich asked, before he tossed the blade in the air and caught it by the handle. Then he leaned more forward with darkening eyes. "Of course, you'd never know 'anything' about any of that if you had 'any' level of 'respect' toward 'others'." After that, he kicked the blonde in the tailbone to knock him down and stood over him while grinning again. "And might I add. You're 'trying' my patience."_

"_You're patience?" With a suddenly amused chuckle, Marcus pushed himself up so he was sitting on the floor and staring up at the patched redhead with a challenge in his eyes. "What's the 'real' reason you're in my room then?"_

"_Well…" Aldrich started, as he knelt down and held the tip of the knife at Marcus' throat. "My first intention was to 'kill' you, since you 'lied' to me about where Adrienne was and the fact that you look 'exactly' like the asshole that killed him…" Then he shrugged and lightened his tone. "I thought it might help me feel better."_

"_And you're second?" With no sign of fear, the blonde cocked his head to the side and smiled back at the man._

"_I believe it was the same as the first." Aldrich admitted, before digging into his pocket and tossing a piece of paper at the blonde. "But my second reason was because you look like the asshole that stole something that belonged to me." When Marcus didn't take the paper right away, Aldrich stabbed into it with the tip of the blade and held it at the man until he finally took it and looked at it. _

"_I actually got as far as writing a list. Can you believe that?" With the reward of cautious eyes and careful movements from the blonde, the redhead grinned again and decided he'd set the man's mind at ease. "But unfortunately, after all I could think of was killing you by the time I wrote the same thing down, excessively, before coming to the conclusion that I'd get 'better' satisfaction out of torturing you and listening to you scream, I decided I'd stop." Then he sighed and wolfishly grinned as he took another look around the blonde's room before turning rather serious and concerned. "It seemed strange to me… That I did that… It made me think… That's something a crazy person would do."_

"_It is." Marcus agreed, as he stared at the paper that had 'kill Marcus' written angrily all over it. _

"_Marcus… Marcus… Marcus…" Aldrich chanted, as he started to crawl over the man as if he were a spider advancing on his prey. Then he lowered himself so his mouth was at the man's ear and whispered. "I need your help. I can't 'take' it anymore." Then he completely collapsed on the man and started chuckling while Marcus adjusted himself and took note of the bruise on the man's neck again, somewhat thankful that Aldrich was having a fairly mild episode that time._

"_I told you I tried." Marcus explained. "But Darius is always at his side."_

"_I DON'T CARE!" Aldrich suddenly bellowed, as he pounced back to a position above the man and stared wildly at him while ripping at his own shirt to show the changes in his bone-structure from earlier that day and the purplish bruises on his neck. "HE KNOWS MY WEAKNESSES!"Then he muttered with a sickly tone and nearly drooled on the blonde. "I don't 'need' to 'feel' it to know that I 'hate' it."_

"_What did you do to provoke him this time?"_

"_He thought I'd like to 'watch' what his cameras picked up on Adrienne's last moment."_

"_So, he made you…?"_

"_Yes." Aldrich answered, as bitterness heavily dripped from his tone. Then he ran the tip of the blade, lightly along Marcus' chest, causing the blonde to cringe, before he coldly admitted. "So, I thought it seemed like the perfect opportunity… After watching you… your fucking 'brother' take one more thing away from me..." After that, Aldrich let out a sickly sounding chuckle when he smacked the broad-side of the blade against Marcus' chest and seemed to have forgotten what he was saying._

"_The perfect opportunity for what?" Marcus' reluctantly asked, before trying to push himself out from under Aldrich's weight._

"_To kill the man." Was the disturbingly casual answer, before he started giggling again. "But that 'fucking' Darius was there, and he grabbed me from behind… You'd think I'd know by now…." He admitted, before he started rocking and running his fingers along the sharp edge of the blade while red droplets mindlessly fell. "It's always the same… needles full of Ether… Elixirs, Darius leaving, Ten-ji staying…"_

"_I don't want to hear the details, Aldrich." Marcus interrupted, while the redhead started shaking his head, before he suddenly wound up holding the knife at the younger man's throat again._

"_Adrienne is dead." He hissed. "'You' killed him… And… 'I'… 'really'... can't… THINK STRAIGHT!!!"_

"_Aldrich…" Marcus grunted, while hanging onto the man's wrist to avoid getting his throat cut. "It wasn't me…"_

"_You took him away from me… YOU TOOK THEM 'BOTH' AWAY FROM ME!" Aldrich accused, before he started laughing at himself and looked up at the ceiling. "Gaia… I've lost my fucking mind… I've fucking lost it… I can't fucking lose... IT…! IT'S ALL I HAVE LEFT!!!" Then he slugged the blonde for no reason other than to let his frustration out before nearly piercing the blade into Marcus' flesh._

"_Shiva… ALDRICH!" Marcus fired back, as he wiped the blood from his mouth and tried to push the man off him while trying to grab the knife as well. "You're not losing your mind! Calm down!" Once he actually managed to struggle enough with the man to change their positions, he tossed the knife to the other end of the room and ran his fingers along the panting man's scar. "Calm down, Beautiful… calm down…" he muttered, suddenly hating Adrienne even more than he already did for fucking up and getting himself killed. "You're just stressed… All we have to do is continue with our plan…" He soothed, before leaning closer and brushing the man's hair from his face. "Then we can have the power to do what you've always wanted to do. I'll even do it for you… I'll make it quick… But stay with me until then… Please… I'll even take Adrienne's place and take care of you."_

"_I can't kill Reno… I already tried…" Aldrich pathetically admitted in the midst of his episode. "He's still…"_

"_Remember what he did to you, Aldrich." Marcus smoothly reminded, as he ran his fingers along the scar again. "Remember that he hurt you, used you, scarred you and condemned you to this life." After the redhead's breathing calmed down slightly, Marcus reversed the roles as he learned to do long ago with the man, and lowered himself so his mouth was at his ear and darkly whispered. "Then we can kill Ten-ji together."_

_Because he knew he couldn't do it alone._

-

"Hm." Marcus muttered to himself, as he sat up and brushed his hand through his hair, messing it up more than it already was, and grabbing a picture of Aldrich from the top drawer of his end-table. He'd been lying there, trying to sleep for hours, and finally decided it was a lost cause.

"You couldn't do it." He mumbled under his breath, and ran his fingers over the image, wondering why the man let everyone use him as they did. "Kurn failed, and the bacteria failed." Then he sighed and sat forward while staring into space. "Perhaps I'm going about this all the wrong way." He finally concluded, before he carefully placed the picture back and pulled out an old newspaper clipping with a picture of Rufus, and sarcastically grinned at it. "What do you think, Little Brother?"

With a light chuckle, he pulled his ankles up to sit cross-legged and then grabbed a cigarette from a half-empty pack on the night-stand while astringently observing. "You're lover seems to be such a wreck that he simply can't be brought down anymore. No matter what you do to him, he manages to bounce back."

After taking a short pause to take a drag from his cigarette, he brought the heated end to the picture and burned a hole through the redhead's face that stood behind the President. It was a clipping of Rufus and his Turks around the time the new Shinra tower had just finished being built. Above it was some kind of announcement about the success and the changes they intended to make in the benefit and well-being of their fellow man. It was all lies, of course. But it made no difference to Marcus.

"What about you though?" He suddenly asked, as he reflected on Rufus' own resolve and the things he'd survived, from his upbringing, to the Geostigma, and to all the turmoil involving Reno. "How well are you holding up with everything he's put you through?"

"Shiva knows…" He muttered, before he reached back for Aldrich's picture again and held it beside the clipping. "He certainly did a number on everything else he's touched."

Then he turned to stare emptily at the door and wondered how much longer he was going to have to "lay low", as Ten-ji put it, and remain locked in his room to keep him from drawing any more attention than he'd already done.


	22. A Vagarious Day with the President

**Chapter 22: A Vagarious Day with the President**

* * *

Vagarious... How's that for a word of the day? Honestly, I couldn't think of what the heck to name this chapter - nothing really new there, actually. Anyway, if you don't know the meaning, look it up at thesaurus(dot)com (my favourite place). 

Had a few problems with this chapter. It was actually ready almost a week ago. But certain parts seemed like a real struggle, and I never really did get to end it the way I wanted to, so I'll save that for the next one. Maybe this is really lazy of me to post this the way it is though... oh well. I've gone over this nearly every day, and I just can't seem to erase some of the nagging parts in this one. However, from past experience, I've discovered that parts like that wind up having some sort of significance later on... hmmm. No worries though, this story is NOT going to run as long as DOM, and I'm actually hoping to wrap it up with not too many more chapters. Enjoy... Hopefully XD.

Also, at this point, it wouldn't hurt, and I wouldn't find it too forward, if anyone PM'd me with anything they fear might not be covered, or I might have missed. There's still things I plan to reveal, but if there's anything your concerned about, please let me know. Between courses, work, writing, and other hobbies, it's very possible I might have overlooked something, and I'd really like to end this with as polished of a feel as I can.

* * *

Rufus was the first one to awaken that morning, although he didn't really feel as if he'd actually slept. Then with an almost irritable sense running through him, he regarded the time and then turned his attention over to the redhead that actually seemed to be sleeping peacefully for a change. It seemed almost like an eternity since he last shared his bed with the man and he still wasn't exactly sure how to interpret it. 

He was well-aware of how he would have liked to interpret it though. But he'd fallen into that pit so many times that he honestly wasn't sure how long it would take the erratic redhead to change his mind about being with him again. Things had changed, he thought to himself, as he leaned forward and moved a stray strand from Reno's face. Maybe it didn't matter so much to him before because he honestly never thought he'd live long enough to have to pay the consequences of his actions, even though he had to admit that he allowed himself to fall in love with the man, and he really had no intention of trying to run away from those feelings.

After a long moment of simply staring at the man, Rufus wound up frowning slightly. Then he nudged the redhead lightly to see if he was still asleep and was rewarded, only, with the success of getting Reno to turn over onto his back, while grumbling out something illegible. But Rufus actually missed seeing that annoying smile of Reno's when he woke up and found himself wanting to see it again. So, he attempted, once more, to gently awaken the man. Perhaps, in a way, he wanted to be re-assured of whatever the hell it was that happened the night before. Either that, or he simply wanted to piss the man off because he wasn't in the best of moods himself.

It had nothing to do with anything particular though. It was simply the way that Rufus always woke up. He never felt like he'd actually gotten enough sleep and always felt a strange sort of resentment that he simply couldn't sleep in like he thought everyone else did.

Then as a reward, and after another illegible grumble from his lover and an actual swat to his hand, he actually felt a strange satisfaction and moved closer to irritate the man a little more. He decided that if he could reward himself with an unruly outburst first thing in the morning from that insanely cheery enigma beside him, then he could pretty much go through the rest of his day with a sense of accomplishment as he met the challenge of trying to rectify it.

Unfortunately though, after a brief "FUCK OFF!" that demon of a redhead opened his eyes and smiled at him with his brow raised while letting out a deep breath and a satisfying stretch.

"You're on my side of the bed." Rufus pointed out coldly, and motioned his hand to stress the fact as the redhead looked at him like he wasn't sure if he was serious or not.

"What?"

"I said you're on my side of the bed."

"Are ya fuckin serious?" Reno asked. Then he rubbed at his eyes, knowing full-well that he was on Rufus' side. But as far as he was concerned, it was pretty much Rufus' fault. "Ya fuckin woke me up ta tell me I'm on the wrong side'a the bed?"

With a cocked brow, Rufus wondered if he'd managed to succeed in his goal for the day, and allowed himself a small feeling of reward before he announced without really knowing why, "I'm taking a shower. I expect to see you either moved or up and making my breakfast when I come out." Then, as he managed to walk toward the bathroom with a confident stride, he turned and scanned his eyes suggestively over the redhead before he smirked, and added. "The latter being preferred."

"Oh… I'll give ya fuckin breakfast…" The redhead threatened in a low and inaudible tone, to the closing door as he sat up and stretched again. Then he got up and shook his head at the thought of how nuts Rufus was, before allowing himself to smile over the fact that he highly suspected that was what he was attracted to in the first place.

- - -

"Daddy!"

The shout of a little girl's voice, cut through the small camp with a cheeriness that carried along with it while she ran to her father's arms to give him the biggest hug she was capable of.

"I missed you so much, Daddy." She confided, and wrapped her small arms more tightly around the man, as her mother stood behind her with an adoring smile. "Mommy too."

"I missed you too." Tseng answered, with a heart-felt smile while he pulled her up into his arms and brushed his hand playfully over her hair. Then he leaned forward to greet his wife with a publicly acceptable sign of affection. After that, he was handed a bag full of tulip-bulbs from the little girl, and a picture that she'd drawn for his birthday.

"Happy Birthday." Elena informed with a playful smile that had a slight undertone of sarcasm to it.

"It's not for another week." Tseng pointed out.

"Yeah… well…" With a roll to her eyes, she watched Tseng return their daughter to the ground and look at the picture of a red-cloaked man watching over a dark-haired Turk lying in a bed. "You know Rufus…"

"I do."

"He thought it would look too suspicious if he let us come to see you on your birthday. So, Allysia thought it would be nice if we celebrated it the next time we came to see you… which is now."

"I see… So, the little girl is devising plans of her own now." He observed with a feigned, stoic, mannerism, before he looked down at his daughter and ruffled up her hair again. Then he asked the unavoidable, as he'd been doing since he was ordered to stay on the Northern Continent. "Is Rufus well?"

"About the same…" Elena mused, while she brushed her hair behind her ear and sarcastically grinned. "He's been quiet and moody, like always… He's still mad at you and sees me as the root of all evil, and he still isn't talking to Reno…"

"Perhaps that's for the best."

With a frown, Elena shook her head at her husband and encouraged Allysia to go and play with one of the little boys she'd befriended the last time they came to visit. "I really don't think they'll kill each other, Tseng." She whispered, when she felt her daughter was at a far enough distance to not hear them speak candidly. "They may fight like maniacs, but look at all the times they've saved each other…" With another shake to her head, she reflected on everything she could think of that reassured her she was right. "I really don't think they'd be able to live with themselves if they ever went that far."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Suddenly feeling a sense of defeat in her argument, she crossed her arms and tapped her fingers over her bicep while trying to think of what she could come up with to change the topic. "Rude's been researching Reno's confession about his mother…"

"That's another reason I don't want him and Rufus together." Tseng interjected. Then he pursed his lips and pulled her by the arm to encourage her to walk with him toward the outskirts of the camp where it was more private. "He doesn't always have control over his actions."

"Neither does Rufus." Elena argued, suddenly realising that her attempt to change the topic only succeeded in the opposite. "In fact, in Reno's defence… I think Rufus is more likely to be the one to kill someone he cares about than Reno is…" And to emphasize her words, she pointed her figure accusingly at her husband with an obvious disapproval. "I heard about him firing at you when he thought Reno was dead, and if I recall correctly… I don't think I've _ever_ seen Reno attack anyone he cared about… except for Rufus, and that was out of self-_defence_."

Almost like he wasn't sure how to respond, Tseng took a moment to absorb the weight of her accusation. Then, like he usually did, he made his best effort to defend the younger President by passing the blame onto the older and more unstable one in the relationship, even though he didn't always necessarily believe his own words in regards to the matter. "I'm sure if you heard some of the things that came out of Reno's mouth, you'd know why Rufus reacts the way he does."

But unfortunately, much like always, Elena had a valid counter-argument of her own, which often left the man speechless after her typical string of questions that never really left him with enough room to answer. "Oh, really? Is that why he fired at you? Did you provoke him? What part of that story did you all leave out then? Was it the part where you went all crazy and started shooting your mouth off while threatening _him_ with a gun…? Is that why Rufus threatens everyone? Because _they_ started it first…?"

"Leviathan… Elena…" With a shake to his head, Tseng pulled his tiny wife over to an old bench and urged her to sit down with him before placing his hand in the back of her hair and catching the fine, flaxen, strands between his fingers. "I hardly get to see you, and here we are arguing over someone else's relationship." He stressed, with a hushed voice. After that, he pulled her a little closer to accommodate an affectionate cuddle and whispered into her ear. "When we really should be working on our own."

"You're right…" The young female admitted, while she scanned the area they were in and took note of the subtle attempt he made to walk them into a decently private area. Then she pulled back and nodded in embarrassment while letting out a deep breath before bashfully muttering. "Sorry." Then she leaned closer into his arms and frowned slightly with an inability to drop her thoughts completely. "It's just that…"

"I know." Tseng admitted, with a slightly hushing tone, before he took another quick glance around and caught a paternal glimpse of his daughter playing with her new friend. Then he smiled subtly and was reminded that he'd have the opportunity to be back together with them again, like a real family should be. All the while, he pushed the thought of how long it might take aside, and turned back to his wife with a gentleness in his gaze that very few ever got to see from the man. Then he whispered with a playful and regrettable wryness, "I wish we had more privacy" before he gently tilted her chin upward and stole a modest kiss from her.

- - -

"Ah, Marcus…" Ten-ji welcomed, with a plotting scheme to his voice, as Darius escorted the unkempt blonde into his office. "Guess what I have planned for _you_."

With a bored look in his eyes, he scanned the man's office as if he were purposely taking his time, before setting his unwavering attention back to the Wutain, suggesting he honestly couldn't have cared less about what the man had to say. "I don't see any scientists or doctors. So, I assume a personality adjustment would be an incorrect guess."

"Personality adjustment..." Ten-ji muttered, before he started chuckling over it and looked over at Darius to see the smile on the dark man's face as well. "Funny…" Then he turned his attention to the floor with an amused shake to his head. "Why in Leviathan's name would I want to adjust your personality?"

When he received only the same stance the blonde had carried since he was escorted into the room, and no answer, he let out a snort, and then he walked over to his liquor cabinet to pour three glasses of sake. "If only I had more people like you working under me…" He mused, with his back to the other two men. "I believe I'd be golden."

Once the glasses were full, Ten-ji walked up to Marcus to hand him his first, and then to Darius, who took his with a slight reluctance, mostly over the fact that he really didn't like sake. Then he collected his own and commenced with his thoughts. "I have to admit. I was rather angry with you at first."

Noting that the Wutain's confession was nothing new, Marcus cocked his brow and took a drink before taking it upon himself to sit lazily in one of the chairs in front of the man's desk.

"But after seeing the effect your actions have had on everyone involved, I'm afraid I might have overreacted a little."

"It took you over a month to come to that conclusion?" Marcus noted with a sneer, before he briefly shook his head to get his bang out of his eye.

"I'm not in the mood for your smart-ass comments right now, Marcus." Ten-ji warned, before he walked over to stand in front of his desk in order to face the younger man. "You're actions have put Both Rufus and Reno in a rather odd mood toward each other, which I must admit, intrigues me a little."

"From what I understand, they're back together." Marcus pointed out, with a slight edge to his voice. "At least that's what your _lackey_ had to say on our way over." After muttering out the accusation, Marcus scratched at his chest and wondered if he should have held off on the insult when he heard the Mideelan shift his weight behind him. But it was a little late for him to take back what he said, and strangely enough, neither of the men seemed to really care.

"Yes. But that's the least of my concerns right now."

"Oh?"

"Mm… I'm not willing to accept the fact that because of one night together they've managed to patch up their differences."

"But you're concerned about it." Marcus pointed out. Then he shifted in his seat and leaned forward while taking another sip.

"True." Ten-ji admitted, before he chuckled at the blonde's uncanny ability to point out the obvious. After that, he tapped his ring on his glass and smiled at the blonde when he was met with bitter eyes and a renewed curiosity. "I've been thinking, with Darius' help, of course."

"As usual."

"Don't start." The Wutain warned, with a suddenly sharp edge to his voice that was halted by the sound of Darius clearing his throat.

"Marcus…" Came the deeper sound of the Mideelan's voice, as he stepped forward and motioned his hand to Marcus as if he were asking for permission from his superior to speak and was rewarded with a nod. "Ten-ji and I have been discussing the events left in the wake of your actions and decided that you've made quite an impact. We were concerned about it at first." He informed. "Particularly about you allowing yourself to be discovered."

"I didn't _allow_ myself to be _discovered_." Marcus fired back, before he stood quickly from his seat to defend himself and slammed his glass onto the desk. "If I recall _correctly_, it was _him._" With his finger pointing at the Wutain, Marcus stepped back when the Mideelan took a step forward. "_He's_ the one that allowed my _existence_ to be _discovered._"

"Marcus, perhaps you should calm down." Darius soothed, with an untrustworthy smile on his face. "As Ten-ji stated, we're not angry with you."

"Bullshit…! Ten-ji's the one that wanted me to work _along-side_ that _menace_!"

"Menace…" Ten-ji repeated, with a shake to his head and a strangely nostalgic grin. Then he grabbed onto Marcus' arm before he had a chance to step any further away and pulled him down to sit on the edge of the desk beside him. "We're completely aware that it was our fault Reno got to know who you were." After a rough pat on the blonde's back, he pulled Marcus closer and gripped his hand into the back of the blonde's hair to force his attention on him while running his finger along the smooth jaw as the glass in his hand followed along and filled Marcus' senses with the pungent smell. "In fact, we're willing to take full responsibility for the fact that you're identity wound up being fully revealed."

"But seeing as things have turned out." Darius interjected, and took another step toward the other two while Marcus tensed up and quickly struggled out of Ten-ji's grasp with enough success to put some distance between him and the darker man. "We've decided that it might work to our advantage."

Making every attempt not to look surprised, Marcus froze in his steps and simply stared at both the men as they remained contently where they were and smiled at him. But due to the fact that he didn't know they knew his plans, he simply stood there, speechless, and continued to stare at them while trying to pretend that he didn't care.

About the only sound to break the strange silence that settled, was Both Ten-ji and Darius' amused chuckles as they regarded one another quickly before returning their attention to the troublesome blonde. "You thought we didn't know." Ten-ji mused, before tapping his ring on the edge of the desk and taking a drink while his friend nodded in assurance. "You thought you were being smart by pulling one over on us. Did you?"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Marcus queried, while cautiously moving further back and defending himself. "I never attempted to hide anything from either of you."

"Of course not." Ten-ji agreed. "You just never had any intention of telling us. Much like your little scheme with Aldrich in the past, and your latest with… Ren? Or is it… Reno? I have to admit, I honestly don't know which one you chose to strike a deal with. I lost track of you for a while when you were pulling all of your crazy little stunts." The Wutain informed as he met Marcus' shallow eyes with a wry glint.

"We're not concerned about that, though." Darius interrupted, when he noticed a quick wash of quilt play across the blonde's face. "In fact, we've agreed that your actions have thrown Rufus so far out of joint that it might be easier than we originally thought to have you replace him. Even Reno's focus has fallen so far that we might be able to pull it off more flawlessly than we planned. We even agree that your attempt to entice Reno to come after Ten-ji might work to our advantage, especially if you can lure him here as successfully as you did with Cloud, which was ingenious, I might add."

"Have you both lost your minds?" Marcus asked, when he was able to move back no further due to the wall behind him, leaving him with nowhere else to go as Darius started to advance toward him. "You _want _me to bring Reno _back_?"

"Only so that we can deal with him accordingly." Ten-ji informed, before placing his glass down and joining Darius on his advancement toward the blonde. "With Tseng out of the picture, and Elena in mourning, we figure Reno's the only one left that poses a problem."

"What about Rude?"

"What about him?" Darius asked, after he stood no more than a foot's distance from Marcus and regarded him with a serious expression. "To our knowledge, he's never liked Rufus enough to get to know him, and Rufus has been so out of character lately that it leaves us to believe he'd never notice, despite the fact that he knows about you."

"Not to mention, he's got his priorities so messed up that he's focusing more on that exotic brunette than he is on his job." Ten-ji interrupted with a bit of a sarcastic snort.

"What do you want me to do?" Marcus asked suspiciously, as he nervously scratched at his chest and darted his eyes from one to the other before fixating them on Darius and moving more to Ten-ji's direction.

"We want you to keep up with what you've been doing." Darius answered, before Ten-ji finished with his own thoughts.

"Only… we'd like you to bump it up a notch."

- - -

Reno never did get around to making Rufus' breakfast. Instead, he figured he'd grace the President with his cheery presence and irritate the hell out of the man for waking him up the way that he did. Only, Rufus didn't really seem that irritated with him and simply told him to either join him in the shower or get the hell out of the bathroom and make himself useful.

Not so surprisingly, Reno took the first option and wound up hogging all the water before he was roughly pushed out of the way and then escorted back to the bedroom by a strangely intrigued President that mentioned something about bondage and how much Reno enjoyed it in the past.

"I don't think so." Reno retorted, with a playful chuckle, while Rufus held onto his wrists and continued to guide him backwards. "I think yer jus hopin ya can get me ta let ya tie me up."

"Perhaps." Without any expression to reveal what his true thoughts were, Rufus pushed him back so he was sitting on the bed, and then he let go and walked over to his closet with an enticing sway to his hips to collect a clean outfit to wear for the day.

"Hm." Reno mumbled, before removing his eyes from the man and falling ungracefully onto his back to lie down with his legs hanging over the edge. "Well… it ain't gonna happen…"

"If that were true…" Rufus mused, while adjusting his towel and opening one of the drawers to his dresser. "You wouldn't still be dwelling on it."

"I ain't dwellin."

"Yes you are."

"Whatever." With a roll to his eyes, Reno turned to his side and propped himself up on his elbow to watch Rufus rifle through his drawer before barely muttering. "Was only thinkin 'bout it."

"Pardon?"

"Nothin." Reno answered, while Rufus continued to keep his back to him. Then he let himself fall back again and turned to face the wall by Rufus's side of the bed before his eyes followed the surface downward and stopped when he remembered that strange box he discovered a few months earlier. "Hey… Rufus…"

"Yes." Came the President's voice, a little closer than it was, before the weight of the bed shifted and he leaned toward the redhead.

"What's in that box?"

"What box?"

"The box under yer bed…" Reno answered, and turned to find the President staring at him with a strangely serene look on his face. "The one ya keep locked."

"You mean you haven't broken into that yet?" Rufus asked, as if he was almost surprised by the insight.

"Was… I supposed to?"

"It would make no difference." After a casual shrug, Rufus merely cocked his brow indifferently and considered the fact that he probably would have known by Reno's outburst or confrontation if he did. "But I simply expected that you would."

Suddenly offended, Reno quickly sat upright and frowned at the man. "What the hell are ya sayin?"

"I'm saying there is very little that is sacred to you."

"Yer an ass, Rufus." Reno informed, before pushing the blonde back and getting off the bed to storm over to the other dresser. Then he spun around with a pair of slacks in his hand before asking. "What the fuck is the matter with you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand the question." Rufus answered impartially, while standing up and commencing to pull his pants up.

"What the fuck is there ta understand?" Reno muttered, after angrily pulling his zipper up and then grabbing a cigarette from the pack on the end-table by the bed. "Yer moodier than a fuckin woman, and ya act like a pretentious _bitch_." Then he took a heavy drag from the cigarette and pointed his finger at the unflinching President who appeared to be ignoring him as he did up the buttons on his own shirt. "I figure there's gotta be reason for it."

"Pretentious?" Rufus asked, and then he cocked his brow and looked over at the man while he mused out loud. "You say that like you actually know the definition of the word."

"Fuck this." Reno muttered, more to himself, and then he started toward the door with a quickening pace. "You and your brother have bad fuckin genes or somethin, cuz yer both fuckin pieces of shit."

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

He almost got as far as the door before he was blocked by a wall of blonde and white that pushed him backward and grabbed his cigarette to take a drag for himself. "You're not going anywhere!" Rufus surprisingly yelled at him, taking him off guard. Then he stepped forward and grabbed Reno by the shoulders to keep him in place. "That's all you ever do… You run when things get too out of hand for you."

"Are you serious?" Reno countered, with a disbelieving chuckle. "Do you have any idea how fuckin nuts you get?" After almost losing his balance when Rufus pushed him where he wanted him to be, he wound up attempting to break out of the hold. "Why the fuck would I wanna stick around?"

"You tell me." Rufus answered, with a sudden calm to his tone. "Every time you leave, you manage to find your way back."

"Somethin tells me, ya never actually _let_ me leave!"

"Is that what you want?" Rufus asked, before his fingers dug roughly into Reno's arms and he cocked his brow to stress a twisted accusation. "You want the freedom to run off with whoever and whatever you please…? Whenever you see it fit?"

"Heh… Ya ask that like ya'd actually allow it ta happen." Reno retorted through his teeth, before he was smacked across the face and stumbled to the side. As a natural reaction, he swung back at the blonde and was partially surprised himself that Rufus didn't block it. "Yer an asshole! Ya know that?"

"Yes."

With an unimpressed snort at Rufus' resolving answer, Reno attempted to push him aside so he could get the hell away from the man. But he was grabbed by the shoulders again and pushed back against the wall. "Fuck…"

"This isn't over!"

"What?" Reno asked sarcastically. "Ya mean… Yer always gonna be an asshole for no reason?"

After that, Rufus swung the redhead around and pushed him hard enough to throw him onto the bed, while Reno chuckled at him and tried to push himself up with no success.

"Since ya've come inta my life, ya've done nothin but act like a fuckin psycho." Reno muttered into the mattress, after the weight of the bed shifted and he was held face-down while Rufus placed the cigarette in the ashtray and retorted.

"Since you've come back into my life, you've done nothing but lie to me."

"Well according to you and everything else I've read about myself, I've always lied to you." Reno spat back, while Rufus roughly turned him over.

"That's rich." Rufus smoothly commented, before he pinned Reno's arms above his head and leaned forward, almost predatorily. "I certainly hope that's not an attempt to justify yourself."

"I don't think it's possible to justify myself to you."

"I think it is." Rufus purred, before lowering himself down to Reno's ear and brushing it seductively with his lips. "In fact, you can start by telling me something _substantial_ about my brother."

"Gaia…" Reno breathed out, almost in shock when Rufus started trailing his mouth along his neck and placed his hand somewhere that didn't seem appropriate to the discussion or argument or whatever the hell it was they were having. "Somethin is seriously wrong with you."

"I know."

- - -

"…"

As Rude sat at his desk with a pile of papers and files in front of him that he'd been going through for the last couple of weeks, he couldn't help but feel a little confused over the evidence he was faced with. None of it seemed to make any sense to the man, and he wondered why no questions were ever asked at the time the crime was committed.

It seemed a little strange to him as he took another look at the photos of the red-haired victim that no investigation was ever made, and to make things seem even more out of place, it appeared as though the case was simply pushed aside as if it bared no importance whatsoever. There weren't even any medical records or research put into the case. Or at the very least, they may have been removed.

However, it wasn't uncommon for crimes committed in the Slums to be ignored, and the fact that it involved the death of a Mako-addicted prostitute really left no question as to why it never seemed worth looking into. But the act itself, seemed disturbing enough to the dark man to at least warrant a question, if not many. Yet none were asked.

_This doesn't make sense,_ he thought to himself, as he shook his head and pulled out the other files that Reno was responsible for after he thought Aldrich was dead. Compared to those acts, the marks on the woman who was supposedly the redhead's mother seemed almost too surgical and clean to be the work of someone as unstable as Reno was, or even Aldrich for that matter. Not to mention, the incident happened long before either Reno or Aldrich were ever held suspect for anything remotely similar.

In fact, the marks left on the woman almost seemed professional, and appeared as if they were done in an attempt to make them look sloppy.

He couldn't help but understand why Reno would have never mentioned any of it before though, especially if he thought he was guilty. However, it was possible that Reno didn't even remember it, given his memory blockages. But why he was suddenly remembering it after all that time, seemed almost too strange to simply ignore.

With a heavy sigh, Rude stroked the palm of his hand over his balding head that he kept clean-shaven to hide the fact, and leaned back into his chair while pinching at the bridge of his nose. Despite the fact that he considered he simply didn't want to believe it was Reno who was responsible for the crime, mostly because he didn't want to believe it, he still couldn't help but believe that maybe the redhead was, somehow, being set up.

The only problem was that he couldn't see why, or even what advantage someone might have had to gain, over setting up a wayward slum-rat in such a manner. Not to mention that Aldrich's involvement made even less sense.

Unless…

Unless someone was trying to play the two boys against each other.

But then again… why would someone want to do that, Rude thought as he came to the conclusion that he clearly needed to take a break. After that, he adjusted himself in his chair to take out the ring he purchased for Tifa and pulled it out of its case to study it. Then he let out a deep breath and called the restaurant to confirm his reservation for the evening.

Maybe if he took his mind off the case for a while, and allowed himself to focus on things of other importance… Maybe he could return with a fresh outlook and make better sense out the mess he'd been digging deeper and deeper into.

- - -

It didn't seem right to tell the man anything about his brother when Rufus had managed to trail himself down to a place that made the redhead mindless. It didn't even seem right when Rufus was done, and pulled the redhead off the bed to sit beside him on the floor and ordered him to talk while he wiped off his hand with a tissue and did up his own pants.

But Reno spoke anyway, despite that he spoke reluctantly. In fact, it seemed easier to tell the man everything after whatever the hell it was that happened only moments ago.

"Did he hurt you?" Rufus asked, after he leaned forward to grab two cigarettes and passed one to the redhead.

"Not really." Reno breathed out with his brow raised. Then he rested his head back and stared at the ceiling while ironically chuckling out. "'Least… not nothin I ain't used ta."

"I see." Rufus observed, before he turned to rest the side of his head against the bed and ran his finger along one of Reno's scars. "So, he did."

"He's dangerous, Rufus." Reno warned with a whisper, almost like he was worried that they were still being watched and turned to face the man to emphasize his words. "He ain't' like ya… He's all over the place… Like somethin ain't connectin in his head."

"You mean to tell me you've found someone you think is crazier than me?"

"I ain't so sure ya really are crazy." Reno mused, and then he took a drag from his cigarette and studied Rufus' features while blowing the smoke out of the side of his mouth. "I mean… ya act crazy… But I think it's mostly jus mood-swings with ya… Like somethin's botherin ya, but ya won't come out an say what it is, or ya don't know how ta deal with it, an ya get all nuts over it cuz it don't fit in with yer routine… Marcus on the other hand… He ain't got no routine. He's jus scattered."

"You've given it that much thought?"

"Yeah…" Reno admitted with a bit of a nostalgic grin. "It pisses me off enough ta wonder why the hell I'm with ya… So, yeah… I give it a little thought."

"Flattering." Rufus muttered, before he grabbed Reno by the arm to get him to rest against his chest and stroke his hair out. "So, why are you with me, then?"

"If I knew the answer ta that, I would'n be askin the question in the first place."

"Fair enough." Rufus distantly muttered. Then he tilted his head, and turned the corner of his mouth slightly when he stared down at the attentive green staring back at him after Reno adjusted himself so he could look up at his lover. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Marcus?"

"Yes."

"Why do ya wanna know?"

"Because I believe I have the right to know everything about a man who plans on replacing me." Rufus factually answered. "It hardly seems right that he knows everything about me and I know so little about him… It's advantageous. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah… Guess I did'n really think about it that way."

"That's why I'm the President, and you're not."

"Heh… I thought it was cuz ya were born inta it." Reno argued back, while reaching over to tap his ashes into the tray that Rufus conveniently placed between them. "An ta answer yer question… I don't think he's capable of havin a girlfriend."

"Why's that?"

"Cuz he's nuts."

"According to you, so am I."

"Yeah… an ya don't have one either."

"I beg to differ." Rufus countered, with a dry tone and a wry grin, while he eyed Reno over in a demeaning way and was rewarded with a rough nudge to the ribs and an angry glare.

"Ya gotta be an ass over everythin, don't ya?"

"Only when I'm not satisfied with what I'm hearing."

"Whatever… He obsesses over a dead man. He never makes any sense, an he's only attracted ta women that aren't too bright or are incredibly sleazy. That sound like someone capable of settlin down ta ya?"

"I suppose not." Rufus answered, before he tilted his head and knitted his brows as he worked out his thoughts. Then it suddenly struck him as odd, what Reno said, and he found himself undeniably curious about it. "A dead man?"

"Yeah… Apparently he was friends with someone I used ta know…"

With a cocked brow, Rufus regarded Reno even more curiously as he wondered who his brother could have befriended from Reno's past. "Who?"

"H… Aldrich… OW!" Suddenly at his feet and glaring down at Rufus, Reno wound up rubbing at the side of his head while Rufus sat on the floor with a handful of red hair in his hand and staring blankly at the wall. "What the fuck is the matter with you?" He shouted at him, and received no response. "Every time I think yer bein normal, ya go all fuckin weird on me!"

"Aldrich." Was the only reply Reno got in return, as Rufus suddenly rubbed at the scars in the front of his neck and sneered as if the sound of the name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Y… Ya knew him?" A little on the cautious side, Reno leaned slightly over Rufus with a strange curiosity, before he was suddenly pressed against the wall with Rufus' hand gripping into his jaw.

"How could I _not _know of him." He growled, as if he were possessed. "He was your _abusive_ ex-lover!" Then with a sarcastic snort at the realization that Reno probably didn't remember much, if anything at all in regards to it, Rufus ran his eyes over the scars under Reno's eyes and attempted to clarify the reason to his reaction in as few words as possible. "And after _everything_ you supposedly put him through, he wanted to destroy _everything_ that meant _anything_ to you."

- - -

"Come home soon." Were the last words Elena whispered to him, before the Highwind returned to pick her up. Then with a nod, Tseng knelt down to place a small peck on his daughter's cheek and tussled her hair before returning to give his wife a simple peck as well.

"I'd love to." He confessed, before he decided to hell with appearances and grabbed her by the waist to give her a light squeeze. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered into her ear "I count the days." And after that, he squeezed her gently once more and reluctantly let her go before standing back to watch the only real family he felt he had board Cid's ship and leave him alone, yet again.

It was becoming tiresome to him, even though being sent away was never anything new for a Turk. But that time around, he couldn't help but feel his _exile_, as he was beginning to see it, had nothing at all to do with work, and everything to do with a certain _someone_ still being angry with him and not wanting to have to deal with having him present. However long it would last though, Tseng had no idea. All he really did know was that Rufus was capable of holding a grudge until the end of eternity, and that was mostly from the experience of having been the one to raise the younger man.

Only, he never expected to be the one that Rufus felt betrayed by, and part of that stung on a level that even Tseng couldn't comprehend.

It was getting late though, and as he watched the Highwind gradually disappear, he let out a tired sigh and wondered what he could have possibly been waiting for by standing there and watching it leave. Not to mention, it was getting close to the time he needed another dosage since he still had a week-and-a-half left of treatments to undergo from the toxin that Chaos infected him with.

If Tseng were the negative type, he probably would have felt things couldn't have possibly gotten worse for him. But he learned long ago that life could always be worse, and he decided that he was simply experiencing a small hiccup as he walked with a nagging twinge of resentment toward the small archaeological camp he'd been condemned to.

"Ready for your next shot, Mr. Kiukan?"

"Please… Call me Tseng." He reminded the on-site nurse for the umpteenth time as he resisted the urge to show his frustration by trying not to purse his lips.

- - -

"I can't believe yer fuckin jealous over someone I slept with when I was like… what… fifteen?" Reno muttered, as he tossed his fork on the plate from a sudden lack of appetite and rubbed at his temple while wincing over another strange flash that hit him.

After spending the majority of the day going through a roller coaster of Rufus' mood swings, he couldn't help but feel he might have gotten to a point to where he'd had enough. Every time he thought they were having a normal conversation, it managed to walk itself into a circle that continuously pointed at either Aldrich or Cloud, and it seemed like the only relief he actually got during that day was when Rufus left the apartment for about an hour to grab some groceries Reno wanted for the meal he was making.

"What's the matter?" Rufus asked, as his jealousy suddenly turned to concern, and he stepped up from the table to kneel in front of the man after noticing him grimace.

"Nuthin…" Reno muttered, while his expression suggested he was obviously lying, before he swatted the concerned President's hand away from his face. "Get the fuck away from me, ya freak… It's jus a headache."

With a darkening glare at the man, Rufus stood and brushed his hand through his bang before coolly stating. "You're lying." Then he pulled out an Elixir to hand it to the man and rested his backside against the table. "And I'm not jealous of him."

"Ya can't fuckin drop it, can ya?" With a slight snort, Reno grabbed at the bottle blindly and decided he'd take it to see if it would help.

"Perhaps your right." Rufus mused. Then he turned his eyes to the floor and placed his hands on the edge of the table at his side. "I suppose it's because I simply don't understand why you'd let someone treat you the way he did."

"What's there ta understand, Rufus?" Suddenly feeling anxious over the topic and grimacing again, Reno stood up and walked into the sitting room before ungracefully flopping himself onto the sofa. "We were fuckin orphans… We had no one… An we were both fuckin used as lab-rats to some twisted an perverse scientist." He explained, before he rubbed at his eyes and kept his palms over them. "From what I understand, we were fuckin tortured and kept in Gaiadamned _cages_ for over a fuckin year."

"Cells." Rufus corrected. "You were kept in small cells."

"Whatever… Same fuckin thing."

Biting his tongue in a manner to avoid correcting Reno again, Rufus came over to the sofa and seated himself beside the man as the other dug into his pocket for a cigarette and lit it.

"No one would have anythin ta do with us after we escaped."

"I understand."

"No… ya don't." Reno rasped back, before resting his head against the back of the sofa and Rufus turned to his side so he could face the man and brush his hair from his eyes. "We were fuckin sick… Ya know that, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, between Aldrich's attacks an my blackouts… No one would have anythin ta do with us… either of us. They treated us like we were contagious or somethin."

"I see." Rufus mused, before he rested the side of his head against his arm on the sofa and studied Reno's profile. "You remember that much?"

"Yeah… Sorta…" After that, Reno let out a shaky sigh and bit on the bottom of his lip while Rufus grabbed his cigarette and took a drag from it. Then he turned and ran his eyes over the moody President and subtly raised his brow at him. "That bothers ya… Don't it." He observed with a slight sense of foreboding, as he shifted to face Rufus more comfortably. "That I remember more of him than I do you."

Instead of answering him though, all Rufus did was hand the cigarette back to him and brush his own bang back before returning his gaze back to the redhead. Then he curiously asked. "What sort of attacks did he have?"

With a shrug, Reno finished off his cigarette and leaned forward to put it out before returning back to the position he was in, only, that time he seemed to have shifted a little closer to Rufus than he was before. "Did'n really know then… He'd drop an fall ta the ground while screamin as if he were bein tortured…" With an uncontrollable shudder, Reno shook his head briefly and mumbled under his breath while staring into space. "Sounded like his bones were breakin."

"That didn't strike you as odd?"

"Thought it was normal." Reno answered, before he snuggled a little closer to Rufus and Rufus followed the lead by taking him into a comforting hold. "We did'n know any different."

"I see." After a slight sigh, Rufus sat back a little to regard the redhead better and moved his hands into the tangles of the man's hair. "From everything I gathered by you and everyone else that seemed to know him, I came to the impression that he wasn't particularly likeable."

"He did'n know what he was doin half the time… Was'n his fault."

"Hm." Rufus mused, before moving closer and resting his cheek against the top of Reno's head. "So, you've been trained to defend him."

"Don't be an ass, Rufus." Reno muttered, and then he tugged on Rufus' shirt to get his message across. "I defend ya too… An if yer gonna use that logic on him, than it would only be fair ta say that ya've gotten me trained as well."

"And you don't see the irony in what you just pointed out?" Rufus asked with a cocked brow, as he simultaneously ran his fingers lightly along the man's jaw.

"Fuck off…"

"I love the way you say that." Rufus murmured. Then he leaned over and brushed his lips, lightly, against Reno's cheekbone and muttered out "It turns me on when you play hard to get," before he was pushed back by a chuckling redhead.

"Fuck, yer messed up." Unable to hide the smile on his face, Reno sat forward and shook his head, leaving Rufus to believe he'd made no wrong moves before he playfully pulled Reno back to lean against him. "Why do ya wanna know so much about someone like Aldrich anyway?"

"Because he was an integral part of your life, and apparently, a part of my brother's as well." While relishing in the soft moan that Reno unwittingly let out when Rufus found the right spot on his shoulders as he started massaging them, the blonde President adjusted himself more comfortably and placed his legs on either side while continuing to elicit the small, approving sounds from the smaller male. "And it drives me crazy when I think of someone like him putting his hands on you."

"Ya really need ta give it a break… Gaia… That feels so gooooood."

"Mm… I know it does."

After a slight shiver from Rufus brushing his lips against his ear and the rumbling purr that he seemed to whisper directly to his soul, Reno found himself having to adjust his pants in hopes that he wasn't being too obvious about the way Rufus was suddenly making him feel. "Besides… ya can't expect me ta not have had _any _relationships before ya..." He rasped, while Rufus' hands travelled to his neck and continued with expert-like movements. "'Specially considerin I was like… what… in my thirties when I met ya?"

"No, you were eighteen when you met me."

"Yeah, well… I may not have too much of my marbles intact… But I don't really think we were an item back then." He chuckled, before he moved his head to the side to accommodate Rufus' movements and suddenly realised his headache was completely gone. "Like I mean… Call me crazy, but… I jus can't see myself bein attracted ta a nine-year-old… ya know…"

"Mm… well…" Rufus started, before he pulled Reno back and stole a small kiss. "I'm afraid I may not be able to refrain from calling you crazy." Then he moved Reno around and pulled his leg out to sit beside the man and gently pushed him back into the arm of the sofa. "But I must agree that you're definitely not disgusting enough to find a child attractive."

With a small gasp, Reno wound up arching his back and moving his hands above his head when the bold President cradled his hip with his hand and lightly moved about the man's neck as if he were savouring something. "An what about you?" Reno breathed out, before he wound up spreading his legs and encouraged Rufus to sink willingly between them.

"What about me?"

"Ya can't expect me ta believe that ya've never been with anyone before me."

"Don't ruin the moment, Reno." Rufus warned in a light and airy tone. Then he lifted himself so he could look down at the compliant form beneath him and tilted his head while stroking his fingers along the delicate features with a slightly darkening look. And after a silent moment of thought that he wasn't willing to share, he leaned slightly forward and ran his eyes over Reno in a dazed study before asking as he started to remove the scarf around his neck while snaking his other arm along Reno's to hold his hands in place as if he was anticipating some kind of struggle. "How well do you trust me?"


	23. Unglued

**Chapter 23: Unglued**

* * *

"What kinda question is that?"

"One that you should consider the answer to very carefully." Rufus answered, while he waited for a response and worked his hand firmly around Reno's wrists.

With his eyes half-opened, the President's lover turned his head to the side and took full-note of the position he was in and suddenly realised that he wasn't exactly sure how he wanted to respond. "Can I ask a question before I answer?"

"Certainly."

"Is it gonna hurt?"

- - -

With a slight frown at the doctor's warning, Tseng shook his head and simply muttered out with a brief shake to his head. "I have to… I'll be back in the morning."

"Well, at least accept the offer for someone to accompany you." The man urged, as he hovered about the Turk in hopes that he could get the stubborn Wutain to hold off on his journey until the morning.

All the while, Tseng continued to ignore the man and filled up a back-pack he borrowed from one of the archaeologists with a small amount of provisions and a tent to spend the night in. He honestly didn't care about the doctor's concerns, and was convinced that no harm could come from him missing one, or even the rest, of his treatments either. As far as he was concerned, the remainder of his shots were nothing more than a paranoid attempt to use him as a pin-cushion, and he simply needed a break.

"The whole point is for me to get away." Tseng coolly informed, before he turned and bowed slightly at the doctor. "If I were to accept the company of one of these people…" With a motion of his hand toward the opening of the tent, he waited for the doctor to reluctantly follow the lead and nod, and then he continued with his explanation. "It would defeat the purpose."

"Forgive me for being concerned, Sir." The man humbly apologized, before letting out a disapproving sigh and grabbing a small case he'd put aside with a couple of shots in it for the Turk to take on his own. Then he knitted his brows together when he saw the man grab a small burlap bag and count the number of bulbs sitting in it. "Are those tulips?"

"Yes." The Wutain answered, with a short nod, and then he quickly covered them up and placed them in his bag before turning to note the doctor's expression as he was handed the needles he'd be requiring.

"May I ask what they're f –?"

"No."

Taking the hint at Tseng's shortness with him, the doctor nodded and reminded himself that he was dealing with nothing more than a Turk, and that he shouldn't take it personally. But it didn't stop him from following the man all over the camp though, to ensure that he was taking everything he'd be needing.

"I'm only going to be gone for one night." Tseng reminded him, when the got near the outskirts that led to the Lost Forrest. "There is no need to be putting up this much of a fuss over me."

"Once again, Forgive me, Sir." The doctor humbly requested, as he stood a foot from the man and studied his stance. "But may I be frank?"

"Certainly."

"I've known you for a long time…"

"I'm aware of that."

"Yes." The doctor nodded, before twisting the corner of his mouth in thought while Tseng brushed at the pair of old jeans he was wearing as if he was irritated by the very fact. "It's just that… Well, I have to admit I've never seen you like this before."

Stopping briefly when he was rewarded with a quirked brow and an intense pair of charcoal eyes that seemed to be burning a hole through him with a speechless irritation that suggested he should know the reason, the doctor took a nervous swallow and gave a quick nod to the man before continuing.

"I'm just concerned, Sir. It's my job to take note of my patient's well-being, and I can't help but notice that something deeper seems to be bothering you than all of the obvious things that have happened recently. Not to mention I'm not comfortable with allowing you to venture off on your own when anything could go wrong."

"That's odd." Tseng pointed out in his usual stoic mannerism. Then he added with another quirk to his brow. "You never seemed intent on stopping me when I went out on missions that were far riskier than a simple overnight journey in the woods." After that, he looked the man up and down, before smirking sarcastically. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Rufus had given you orders not to let me out of your sight."

"Sir?"

"Don't take it personally, Doctor." Tseng consoled with a pat to the man's shoulder. "Rufus will always be the one to give the orders, and I will always be the one to follow them without question. But in this particular instance, I don't feel Rufus needs to know everything I do or everywhere I go. Nor, do I care to be babysat by a person who possesses less skill than me when it comes to defending myself."

After noting another nervous swallow from the doctor as the man shifted his eyes away from him, Tseng smirked again, and then adjusted his backpack more comfortably on his shoulders before snidely commenting as he turned and started to walk toward the woods. "You have no need to worry. I have no intention of returning to Midgar without permission, and I _will_ be back before midday tomorrow."

- - -

With nothing more than a nod as an answer, Reno wound up being escorted to the bedroom by a provocative pull on the scarf he let Rufus tie around his wrist, as if it were a leash. But he couldn't help but grow a little more nervous with each step, even though a part of him tried to flush it away as best as he could, before he sheepishly admitted to the man once they were at the foot of the bed. "I dunno if I can."

"It's all right." Rufus comforted, in a near-purr, as he pulled the man closer to him and wrapped his arm around his waist. Then he nuzzled his mouth against the crook of Reno's neck, while relishing in the feel of the man's heartbeat against him and the shaky breath that revealed all of Reno's willingness, along with his overlapping reluctance that Rufus was sure he could break.

Then after a rewarding shiver, and a slight moan from his lover when he brushed his lips against the man's neck, Rufus soothingly added. "I have no intention of doing anything you don't want me to do."

After that, Rufus guided his lover onto the bed and pulled the scarf through the bars before carefully grabbing Reno's other wrist and confessing, "I simply want to try," as he tied the other end around it and met a slight resistance that was easily overcome.

- - -

If Marcus' jaw was wound any tighter at that moment, he would have cracked his teeth as he was being escorted down the hall, to his room, by Darius. Neither one said a word to the other while he made the odd attempt to break loose from the man's strangely inhuman hold and was rewarded with no expression whatsoever by the man. At least, not until he was tossed toward his bed and stumbled before steadying himself and sitting down on the edge.

At that point, Darius took a moment to look around and set his attention on the bed-side drawer that was left partially open and shook his head before closing it. "If Ten-ji ever found out about your shrine, he'd confiscate it." He warned. Then he took another look around and scanned his eyes along the female images with a strange smirk. "Despite your efforts to hide your strange and questionable obsession with a man that never wanted anything to do with you, he sees your extended mourning as something to be concerned about."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Marcus spat back, as he rubbed at his upper arm where he highly suspected Darius left an impressionable mark.

"Don't act surprised, Marcus. The whole victim facade is becoming tiresome." Darius stated, in an almost bored manner, before he decided to open the drawer and pull out one of Aldrich's photo's that rested amongst several of his other belongings.

"Put that back!" Marcus demanded, as he jumped forward to grab it from the man's hand and was pushed casually back onto the bed with little effort.

"You're in no position to order me around." He was coolly warned. Then the man smirked slightly as he studied the torn image that used to be of both Aldrich and Reno. "You know he never liked you, don't you?" The dark man asked, while toying with the image and waving it at Marcus. "You were far too underhanded and backstabbing, even for his taste." Then he leaned slightly forward with an impish grin and playfully purred. "You still are."

"I'm well-aware that he was only interested in those that never gave a shit about him."

With a deep chuckle, the Mideelan man straightened up and toyed a little more with the image before placing it back in the drawer. "You amuse me, Marcus." Then he tilted his head as he looked over everything else in the drawer and rummaged his fingers through the deceased redhead's belongings. "Despite what you thought, Aldrich was not that easy to manipulate." Then he let out a sigh and closed the drawer. "He was a smart man… Smarter than even you and I combined."

Then with another amused smile at the way Marcus regarded him with a cautious glance, Darius sighed and sat down beside the wary blonde. "And if he made it seem like he was easy to bend to your will, I can guarantee you it was because he was the one doing the manipulating."

"What are you getting at?" The blonde cautiously asked, as he shifted further away from Darius after the man patted his hand on Marcus' knee.

"Absolutely nothing." Darius responded. Then he let out a devious-sounding chuckle before getting back up and casually straightening out the jacket of his suit. "I just thought the irony was amusing." After that, he oddly commented that. "It's a pity you won't live long enough to fully understand how well you've been played by such a brilliant genius. However, I can't say I'll be disappointed to see you do exactly what he wanted you to do."

After that, the Mideelan slyly smiled as he kept his back to the confused blonde and looked slightly to the side as if he was about to relish in the younger man's expression, before changing his mind and calmly placing Marcus' Exit Materia on his dresser and reminding the blonde as he left the room. "Don't forget Ten-ji's plans this evening, Marcus. He expects results."

- - -

"Is this the way ya prefer it?" Reno asked, before clearing out his throat after realising how strange he sounded while his shirt was slowly being undone and he tested the strength of the scarf.

"Not normally." Was the only answer he got. Then tender lips met his own for a well-paced kiss before Rufus reminded him that all Reno had to do was ask him to stop, and his wish would be granted. "I tend to be rather selfish."

"Besides the fact that yer statin the obvious." Reno breathed out while adjusting himself to accommodate the other man more, despite the fact that he still wasn't really sure what he thought about what he was letting him do. "That don't really answer my question."

After subtly smiling at Reno's ill-timing for conversation, Rufus pulled back slightly so he could regard the man face-to-face, and ran his eyes adoringly over the man. "I suppose it doesn't." He admitted, and then he began undoing the buttons on his own shirt while taking a brief look at the scarf and then turning his attention back to Reno. "I suppose…" Rufus started, in between small kisses along the other man's jaw. "I'm trying to say that we both like… different things… And because of that… we both make sense… in a… senseless… sort of way."

"Nnnm…" Reno moaned out, when Rufus' hand slid under his pants and the man reached over to his night-stand to grab something. "I don't think I like bein tied up…"

With another satisfied smile at Reno's sudden need to have his hands free, Rufus merely shook his head and peered lustily into his lover's eyes before responding with a strangely gentle tone. "I believe I like you like this." And then he added while tugging on the redhead's pants to get them off. "Besides… you're in more control than you think you are."

"Heh… funny thing, though…" Reno rasped with a growing nervousness, as Rufus started to undo his own pants. "I don't really feel like I am."

"Then tell me to stop." Rufus casually suggested.

Only, his suggestion was met with nothing more than Reno subtly biting his bottom lip, causing Rufus to nod and grin at the irony of the inner struggle going on in the man while he finished getting his pants off and decided to wrap the heat of his mouth around his lover while undoing the bottle he grabbed so he could make the man's experience as pleasant as he hoped he could.

- - -

"And then the big Goblin demanded that he get his own Island in return for freeing the Cetran Princess." Elena read, as she rested on her daughter's bed with her arm cuddled around her.

"Is that how Goblin Island really got its name?"

"No." Elena chirpily admitted, before closing the illustrated storybook and placing a small peck on her daughter's forehead. "But it's one of my favourite stories about it."

After that, Elena carefully got up and put the book back on its shelf while taking a look around the room. Despite the fact that she was trying to make the best out of the situation, she was finding the place almost cold without Tseng's presence and was beginning to realise just how much she really missed him.

"Is everything all right, Mommy?"

"Hm?" Elena asked, before she turned around to see her concerned daughter looking up at her. "Oh… Of course it is, Honey."

"Then why do you look so sad?"

"I guess it's because I miss your father." With a twist to the corner of her mouth, Elena bent over to tuck her daughter more securely into the bed, and then paused for a brief moment while trying to find a way to stay on the lighter side of her thoughts for Allysia's sake.

"I miss him too." The little girl agreed, and then she patted her mother's hand to offer what little comfort she could before she sat up and leaned against the wall. "Do you think we'll ever meet his friend?"

"Vincent?"

"Yeah." After stopping for a moment to let out a large yawn, the little girl cuddled closer to her mother and turned her large brown eyes up at her. "Everyone says he saved Daddy's life and watches over him. But he's never there when we go to see how Daddy's doing."

"Be careful what you say, Hun." Elena whispered with caution, as she took a careful look around while practically despising the fact that she still felt as though she was under the enemies surveillance, despite the fact that Reeve had assured them all that the cameras were all found. He even went so far as to place his own counteractive devices designed to detect them should any of them unknowingly show up again in all of the apartments in the building. But it still didn't give the woman comfort as she rubbed her daughter's shoulder in a motherly way and sighed as her daughter nodded in her own sense of understanding.

"I think he just doesn't want to get in the way." She sighed, realising that the only times she had ever met the mysterious gunman after everything that happened with Sephiroth was whenever they were in trouble. Then she playfully added. "Anyway… I think you've stayed up late enough tonight." Elena informed her, with a playful nudge, and then she gently guided her daughter back and tucked the blankets back over her while beginning to wonder more about Vincent's real intentions all of the sudden. "And you really need to get your sleep."

- - -

"Ah… Stop… I can't…" Reno breathed out, as he tried to pull as far away as he could without really meaning to. All the while Rufus paid respect to his wishes and pulled back while resting above him and stroked his hair to reassure him. "I'm sorry… It hurts."

"It's okay." He whispered, and placed a gentle kiss on the man's jaw. "Do you want me to untie you?"

"Yer not upset?"

With a casual shrug and a slightly impish grin, Rufus pushed himself up and studied the man while stroking his jaw, lightly, with his thumb. "No." Rufus consoled, figuring that just because Reno couldn't take it, didn't mean he couldn't give it, and then he began to start untying the man until he was interrupted.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Ya meant it?"

"Meant what?"

"That ya'd stop."

"Gaia…" Rufus muttered, before he stroked some of Reno's hair out of the man's face and gazed into his eyes with a slight disappointment over the man's distrust of his intentions. "After everything I've done to get you this far, it hardly seems logical to set it all back by forcing you into something you've always been uncomfortable with." Then he let out a light breath and set his eyes on the man's scars. "I'd be a fool to believe I could easily rectify a mistake like that."

Not to mention, Rufus was well-aware of the fact that he was already skating on thin ice with the man over everything else he'd done and said to him that day. However, he wasn't exactly willing to admit to any of it if he didn't have to and decided it was best to just abide by the man's wishes and try again some other time.

But just as he was about to try and untie the man again, he was stopped with another. "Wait." And an anxious pull as if Reno was trying to keep his wrist away from him. Then the redhead looked over the President with a strange suspicion while noting the amused smirk on the blonde's face. "I thought ya said ya liked it better the other way."

"I did."

"So… Ya lied?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"I suppose…" Rufus thought, as he paused without really knowing the answer to the question, and wound up surprising even himself with his answer. "I just need to be reassured from time to time." Then he ran his fingers through the red strands fanned out in front of him and added with an almost nostalgic sound to his voice. "You used to ask me make love to you… on occasion… and the fact that it was always something you were never fond of, made it mean something more than just sex to me."

"Ah." Reno rasped, and moved his wrist away from the President's once again while continuing to study the man's face. "Yer a complicated man, Rufus." He playfully admitted, with a crooked grin, as he wrapped his leg over the backs of Rufus' to hold him in place after the man nodded and agreed. Then Reno lifted his head so he could brush his lips against the man's neck and whispered. "I wanna try again."

"Are you sure?" Rufus asked, as he moved back into position, and moved his hand down to try and prepare Reno a little more in hopes that it would make things easier.

"Never been more so." The man muttered. Then he let out a slight moan from the shock and closed his eyes in every attempt to try and relax, all the while, wondering why in the hell he couldn't.

- - -

The walk through the Lost Forest was a short journey at best, particularly for those that knew their way, and Tseng was one of those people that knew his way around nearly everywhere. He was also thankful that he'd managed to be in the Northern Continent in the early autumn, and that it was still fairly light out as he entered the Forgotten City and made his way to the waters where Aeris was laid to rest. It had been a long time since he last saw the girl, and he knelt down at the water's edge to pay his respects while pulling out the burlap sack from his backpack.

"I know you would have forgiven me." He muttered, as if she was standing right beside him. But despite the fact that he knew he was right, he still wasn't entirely sure if he'd forgiven himself over what happened. "If I'd known it was going to end for you like this…" He started, and then he shook his head and opened the sack to take out one of the bulbs while rummaging around with his other hand to find something to dig with. "Well… I would have kidnapped you anyway."

He was well-aware that his tone may have been on the cold side, and his admittance may not have been something many people would have approved of. But he was also well-aware of the fact that Aeris would have understood and took comfort in it as he started to dig a hole to plant the first bulb in. "In fact, I probably would have killed you if I was ordered to."

"Would you have?"

"Yes." Tseng answered, without looking up at the voice he recognised so well while he continued to plant the other bulbs. He wasn't even concerned over the fact that he heard no one approach while adding in his usually stoic mannerism. "You would have done the same if you were still a Turk."

And like always, Vincent never answered to the fact. Instead, he simply lowered his head and moved away from the tree he was leaning against before coming to stand beside the other man. "Did she know you were working undercover at the time?"

"You mean lying?"

"Is there a difference?"

"No." Tseng admitted with a slight smirk. "I suppose there isn't." After that, he positioned himself more comfortably on the ground and elbowed the gunman in a manner to catch his attention while pulling something out of his pocket and handing it to him. "It's ironic, really… I didn't only lie about who or what I was. I lied about my age as well… Making her believe that she really did spend a portion of her life growing up with me."

"I suppose it worked well that you always looked younger." Vincent commented, as he accepted the small red orb and looked at it like he didn't really know what he was supposed to do with it while Tseng ignored him and commenced to planting the bulbs again.

"I suppose." The Wutain reluctantly agreed. "I even managed to make her believe we were friends… All in the name of Boris' desire to obtain the last of the Cetra."

"Is that why you're here?" While still looking at the red orb in a slight confusion, Vincent toyed with it a little and then turned his attention attentively over to the Turk. "I never knew you were capable of guilt."

"Hm… Of all people, I thought you would be the only one to know I was."

"I question it sometimes."

With a snort, Tseng leaned back and turned to offer the gunman a slight recognition before pointing the small shovel he obtained from the camp at the orb in Vincent's hand. "Kjata." He informed. "I caught it in the Forrest." Then he noted the continued confusion in Vincent's eyes before returning to planting the last of the bulbs for Aeris and explained. "I thought I'd give it to Yuffi. But since you're here, perhaps you'd prefer to do it." After that, Tseng grinned with a slight embitterment when he caught Vincent stiffen from the corner of his eye and place the orb in his pocket.

"She'll like it." Vincent admitted with a tight voice, taking full note of Tseng's cold attitude and wondered if he should just leave. But he couldn't help but want to know what the hell was bothering the man. "Are you mad at me?"

"No…" Tseng answered, without sounding very convincing before he corrected himself and muttered. "Yes…" Then he shook his head and tossed the shovel lightly on the ground after tapping the soil down. "Everyone…"

Nodding in understanding, Vincent decided it was best to leave the man to work things out on his own, and started to walk away when Tseng interrupted his attempt.

"I thought you decided to leave for good."

"I was trying."

"I haven't seen you since the day Elena first showed up." Tseng pointed out, as he turned on his heels and stared at the back of Vincent's red cloak that stood out from everything else.

"I thought you'd prefer to be alone with her."

"And in between?"

"I have a life."

"I doubt that." With no attempt to hide the snide sound to his tone, Tseng stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants while wondering why the man even bothered to come back. "Why did you come back then?" He asked with a strange coldness before bitingly adding. "If your life is that fulfilling…"

"Because I couldn't stay away." Vincent muttered under his breath, in a tone that Tseng couldn't make out as he stood with his back to the man.

"What?"

"To make sure you were okay."

"Well, if you were concerned… you would have stayed." Tseng pointed out, before he turned back to the water and waved his hand at the gunman as if to carelessly say goodbye. Then he lowered his head to pay Aeris the respect he felt she deserved while acting as if Vincent never showed up in the first place. "I know how much you loved your flowers." He lightly said, and motioned his hand at the freshly planted bulbs. "And since it was the beginning of fall, I thought I'd plant some for you… So you could enjoy them."

It may have been a rare incidence for anyone, if they'd seen the way Vincent turned and silently glared at Tseng and stared at the man like he thought the Wutain had completely lost his mind. But it might have been the rude way Tseng was behaving that got to the ex-Turk more so than the fact that he thought the man had lost his mind, and he found himself uncontrollably compelled to storm up to the man and push him into the water in a rare fit of anger toward the matter.

And after a few splashes and stumbling attempts to remain on his feet, Tseng turned, mid-calf in the water, and glared back at Vincent as if the act was completely uncalled for. Not to mention, he felt it was completely rude for the man to push him into a place he was only mourning a moment ago. "Do you care to tell me why you did that?" He commanded, as if he were talking to a child, while making every attempt to keep himself cool and under control.

"Don't talk down to me, Tseng."

"Talk down to you?" He calmly asked, and despite every desire the man had to step out of the water, he remained where he was in order to avoid going anywhere near the man he was silently blaming for everything going wrong in his life at that point. "You've systematically ruined my life from the day I first met you, and now you're telling me not to talk down to you."

"Ruined your life…" Vincent repeated. Then he nodded as if it was some sort of revelation and lowered his head for a silent moment before turning to walk away again.

"That's right, Vincent!" Tseng shouted, more in an attempt to be heard as opposed to sounding angry. "Because of you, the only man that I view as a son… a man I _raised_ as if he were my own won't even talk to me… I can't even be with my wife because of it… or my own daughter… the _only _family I have left!" And with a futile kick to the water in a semblance of his frustrations, he stepped onto the bank and shook off his legs while Vincent suddenly smirked as if he were amused by it for some strange reason.

"Is that what this is about?" Vincent calmly asked, as his cloak glided through the breeze when he abruptly turned. He was suddenly neither angry, nor amused with the Wutain, and genuinely concerned. "Tseng…"

"No!" Tseng interrupted, and shook his head. "Don't bother… You're Gaiadamned cursed, Vincent."

Then, with a complete disregard toward the impact of what he was saying, he commenced to brush some more of the dirt from his clothes in an attempt to gain control over his emotions that he normally didn't have a problem with, and wound up failing in the most miserable of ways as he continued to point out everything that went wrong in his life from the day he first met Vincent.

From the moment that he was accused of having a sordid affair with the half-breed, to the moment of being accused of murdering his father, Tseng managed to leave no stone unturned. "You could have said something." It wasn't enough for him to merely point out that it bothered him and that Ten-ji still wore his own brother's ring that he stole from him after murdering him, and that it should have been Tseng's, and that it was all Vincent's fault. "All you had to do was tell them that it wasn't true. How hard would that have been?"

"They wouldn't have believed me." Vincent angrily answered. Then he moved quickly and grabbed Tseng by the front of his shirt to hold him in place. "And you know that."

But Tseng was beyond listening and continued all the way up until Vincent had to hammer the nail into the coffin by having him blackmailed into turning against his own people and abducting Boris' boys which led him to the place he was in now. All the while, he struggled with Vincent's grip to get him to let go of his shirt before he finally calmed down and realised he'd stepped out of line.

"I shouldn't have said those things." He reluctantly admitted, and then he looked down at the ground when he realised it was too late to take it all back. "I didn't mean any of it."

"Yes you did." Vincent calmly pointed out. Then he loosened his hold and brushed Tseng's hair back, since it became unruly during the man's lack of composure, before he let go completely and muttered out, "And I deserved every word of it."

"Leviathan…" With a light sigh, Tseng watched as Vincent stepped back and commenced to walk away, yet again. "We used to be such good friends."

"No." Vincent mumbled, with a subtle shake to his head before he lowered it into his mantle. "You never cared enough about anyone to let them be your friend."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is." Despite the fact that Vincent didn't want to carry the conversation any further, he found himself suddenly compelled to finishing it. "You only brought me to Wutai with you to anger your uncle, and like a fool, I put up with your insults and your dominating pushes in hopes that there was more to you than the shallow egotist I thought you were pretending to be."

"Egotist."

"Yes." Vincent pointed out in frustration. Then he motioned his hand to the water where Aeris' spirit rested. "You're actions speak louder than anything you're capable of saying…" After noting the deep breath Tseng took to regain his stoicism, Vincent frowned in irritation and took a step toward the man. "You have the nerve to stand here and pay respects to a girl you befriended because you were ordered to. Then you went so far as to kidnap her, and you were even prepared to kill her, should the need arise. Then you have the gall to stand here, plant flowers for her, and admit to her that you were prepared to kill her… And there is no question in my mind that you would have if Sephiroth didn't get to her first… I'd call that egotistical, if not outright arrogant."

With a quirked brow, Tseng acted as if nothing Vincent was saying was affecting him at all, and he proceeded to brush compulsively at his pants again while casually admitting. "We're not nice people." Then he finally decided to acknowledge Vincent while smoothing his hair back. "And I suppose I deserved every word of that as well."

After that, he waved his hand at Vincent again as if to say goodbye, and walked toward his backpack to take out his shots and set up his tent. "For what it's worth, Vince." He coolly stated, not even sure, or even really caring whether the man was still there, as he started to roll up his sleeve and pulled out his needle. "I did consider you my friend."

But what he didn't know, was that Vincent was somewhere in the shadows where he couldn't be seen or heard as the man commenced with his silent watch over the Turk. And as he watched the man give himself the shot he was responsible for, he lowered his head again and pulled out the orb to toy with it a little while muttering under his breath. "Did's a strong word, Tseng."

- - -

Making love to Reno was never an easy task for Rufus, and despite the fact that he hadn't forgotten, he always hoped it would get less confusing. But it never did. Between every request to "Stop," and "Don't stop," It was a wonder either of them ever got any enjoyment whatsoever out of the act, and for a man that had taken life-threatening blows in nearly every form ever invented without a complaint, he was, by far, the most whiney person Rufus had ever come across when it came to more subtle matters.

But he loved him anyway, and he chose to believe that Reno only complained because he was too afraid to admit that he actually liked whatever it was he was complaining about. In fact, a part of Rufus was more than positive about that belief, and when Reno called out his name as if he were his one and only god, Rufus was not only filled with that sense of ownership and accomplishment that he constantly struggled for, it also reassured him from any doubts he might have had in regards to where things were going with his lover.

However, that particular night, Rufus wound up with a little more than he bargained for, and it all started with three little words that he never expected to hear from the man as he was undoing the scarf around one of his wrists. At first, he tried to convince himself that he must have been mistaken, because Reno simply didn't say things like that for fear that it would make him sound… gay. But there was no denying it when he turned to find a pair of loving green eyes contently staring back at him as if they really didn't care about the response they could possibly get.

Then after that, Rufus wondered why in the hell Reno always managed to make him feel so nervous when no one else ever did, and he let out a disbelieving snort without meaning to. "What?" He asked, long before he could manage to stop himself, and then he laughed at him and accused him of not knowing the definition of the word, turning the situation into something he desperately didn't want to turn it into.

But it was too late. Reno had already reacted, and since his hand was free, he was able to roughly push Rufus off of him, and the bed, and commenced to angrily untie his other wrist while stating that Rufus didn't have to accept what he said, but he sure as hell didn't need to be a fucking asshole about it either.

"It's no wonder ya've never been with anyone else…" The ranting redhead began, as he sat up and threw Rufus' pants at him while grabbing his own as well. "I must be the only fuckin idiot dumb enough ta put up with yer fuckin shit."

Then Reno got up and stormed into the bathroom with his pants undone and slammed the door and locked it, while still ranting loud enough for Rufus to hear every unpleasant word and insult that could possibly come from that ruffian's mouth. But it wasn't just the name-calling that caught Rufus' attention. There was also the unpleasant sound of glass smashing against the door.

_Gaia…_ Rufus thought, while he cocked his brow and decided he'd best put his pants on. Then he took a deep breath as he stood up and brushed his hand through his hair, fearing that he might just have to apologise for that one.

"Reno…"

"Fuck off!"

- - -

Tifa looked as lovely as she always did to Rude when he first walked into the restaurant. The lighting seemed almost ethereal as the steady flames on the table illuminated her features with a near doll-like appearance, and her caring eyes danced with a light and flirty playfulness when they met with his own after he removed his shades to reveal the boyish and humble browns behind them. Even her crooked and shy smile welcomed him with a warming sensation that seemed to be more inviting than it normally did, making Rude wonder if he was in the presence of an angel in disguise.

Almost as if it were a dream, the entire evening seemed a little more relaxed and fun-loving to the repressed Turk than it normally did, and in a strange sort of way, it had a calming effect on the big man that neither him nor Tifa really expected as they ate their dinner, drank their wine, and sampled the small desert that was presented to them after their meal.

Yet, all the while, Rude toyed with the right time, and found himself nearly making the attempt to ask her the question he'd been wanting to ask her for months, and each time he worked up the nerve, they were interrupted. When he went to ask her during their meal, he was asked if everything was all right by the waiter, and when he went to ask her after their meal, he was asked if he wanted to see the wine list. Then there was the desert list, and the continuing questions about how everything was going…

- - -

"They're somewhere in Kalm, and I'm going to find out where." Cloud angrily muttered to Cid, as they sat at the bar in the Seventh Heaven.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Cid muttered, after lighting his second cigar. "I thought being in prison would have cleared out your mucked-up head." Then the man shook his head and accepted another drink from the barmaid, before he turned to regard the manic ex-Soldier beside him.

"Don't start."

"Start what?" After taking a brief pause and another drag from his cigar, Cid tilted his head and nudged Cloud when he noted the blank look crawling into his eyes. "Rufus didn't fuckin release you so you could get involved in his and Reno's life again, you idiot… I think you really need to rethink your plans and let Gaiadamned _Shinra _take care of their own problems."

"Shinra doesn't know the full extent of their problems." Cloud muttered back. Then he finished off what was left of his drink and started to walk up the stairs to the room Tifa had allowed him to have when Rufus pardoned him from his crimes.

"Shit… Cloud…" Cid called, with a strange alarm taking over him. "What the hell are you planning on doing?"

"Nothing." He answered back, before Cid raised his brow and took a deep breath while turning back to the bar to finish off his drink in hopes that Cloud was only going to pass out and not cause him any more grief than he'd already been doing.

Then a few moments later, Cloud came back down with the sword Vincent gave back to him in his sheath and started to walk toward the door.

"Oh, fuck." Cid muttered, after nearly choking on his drink as he hopped clumsily off the barstool. After that, he quickly ran after the man with every intention of stopping Cloud from making another mistake he'd wind up regretting.

- - -

"You'd better clean up whatever you threw at that door." Rufus coldly commanded, as he prepared himself to try and get the damn door open that Reno had locked himself behind.

"Clean it up yerself, ya neurotic freak." Reno hissed through the crack in the sudden and partial opening he made before he kicked the remainder of the smashed vase onto the carpet in Rufus' room and slammed the door again to start running the water in the tub, leaving Rufus with a conflicting dilemma over what suddenly needed to be dealt with first.

Despite the fact that he simply couldn't leave shards of glass and a small amount of splashed water on his carpet, he couldn't help but feel he kind of needed to put his priorities on dealing with Reno first. "What the hell are you doing in there?"

"What the fuck does it sound like?" The angry redhead called back, as Rufus looked around his room for something to quickly clean the mess up with.

"It's eleven hundred hours… Don't you think it's a little late for a shower?"

"Not if it'll clean you off'a me."

_Gaia…_

"Fuck the vase." Rufus muttered, and prepared himself to break the door down without realising that Reno didn't lock it the second time, and was met with an unwelcome surprise when he stumbled ungracefully into the bathroom and slammed Reno's head into the faucet of the tub with the force of the door by accident.

"Fer fuck's sake, ya fuckin psycho!" Reno shouted in surprise, before he tried to push himself up and stumbled from a sudden dizzy spell. "What the fuck is the matter with you?" Then he blindly swung at Rufus when the man tried to catch him after noticing he was about to fall again. "Are ya tryin ta fuckin kill me?"

"Gaia, Reno." Rufus frustratingly blurted out when he noticed the blood running freely from Reno's head and worriedly grabbed him to make sure he didn't do any serious damage. "It was an accident… I thought the door was locked."

"So did I..?" Reno slurred, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped, almost lifelessly, into Rufus' arms.

­­- - -

After losing his nerve several times at the restaurant, and even at the new park they walked through on the outskirts of Edge, Rude finally built up the courage when he stood at Tifa's door with her and finally decided that if he didn't ask her the question then and there, then he might very well never be able to do it. It took him a moment though, and a few nervous stalls as he watched the younger lady dig for her key so she could open the door.

But he reminded himself he'd had to do far more difficult things in his life and muttered out "Tifa" with a broken voice that came out like a teenage boy going through puberty, causing him to quickly clear his throat and adjust his tie in embarrassment while she turned to regard him. "Yes?"

"I…" Then he paused for a moment when he wondered if it would be more appropriate to get down on one knee, and shook his head while chastising himself silently over something so silly. "I wanted to ask you something…"

"GAIA DAMN IT, CLOUD! DON'T BE A BRAIN-DEAD MORON!" Came Cid's most unwelcomed and ill-timed shout from Tifa's bar across the street. "YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING!"

"What the…?" Rude muttered, as both he and Tifa turned to watch the commotion, and Tifa's cheeks began to burn bright red.

"Don't try and stop me, Cid."

"I thought you said he'd left." Rude suddenly reflected, in a suddenly controlled and unimpressed tone, as the old pilot across the street tackled the younger man in order to try and stop him from whatever the hell it was he was planning on doing. Then the Turk turned to his girlfriend and watched her redden even more as a sheepish smile crept across her lips and her brows knitted together guiltily. "Tifa…"

- - -

"Erryn!" Rufus demanded, as he compulsively pounded on her apartment door and adjusted the unconscious redhead his arms. "Erryn… Open the damn door!"

"Oh, great Shiva…" She complained on the other side, before she opened it and regarded the President wearing nothing more than a pair of slacks while supporting a half-naked, bloody, Reno with an unzipped pair of old pants on. In the mean time, Reeve stood casually behind her with a half-empty glass of scotch and an amused grin on his face. "What the hell happened?"

Then she opened the door in a rushed invitation as Rufus quickly did the zipper up on Reno's pants and carried him quickly into her apartment to place him on her sofa while Reeve took a sip and calmly stood back. "I pushed him into the tub."

"Trouble in paradise?" Reeve asked, with a mildly entertained chuckle, and was rewarded with an icy glare from the younger President while Erryn quickly ran over to Reno to check him as best she could without any of the proper equipment.

"It was an accident."

"Shit… Rufus… We need to get him downstairs so I can clean him up."

"What?" Rufus asked, and stared at her like she was an idiot. "I thought you were a doctor. Don't you have anything to tend to him with up here?"

"Excuse me?" She fired back, and glared at him. "This is _supposedly_ my _home_, not my office, Rufus!"

"Perhaps I should be going." Reeve interjected, as he finished off his drink and casually grabbed his jacket. "You look like you both have your hands full."

"No." Erryn suddenly piped up, as she helped Rufus lift Reno back up. "I shouldn't be long… You can stay here."

"I'd rather not."

"Fine… Whatever…" Erryn muttered as Reeve made his way out of the apartment. Then she turned to Rufus with a suspicious look in her eyes that suggested she was accusing Reno's condition of being the result of one of their well-known and childish fights, and offered her best attempt at comforting the man over the matter. "Besides the fact that you knocked him out, cold, I wouldn't be surprised if he has a concussion. And I'd feel better if I got him checked out properly and cleaned up."

"Very well." Rufus agreed, and commenced to carry Reno to the elevators with her when he realized he'd left the water running in his apartment and that Reno had knocked the plug into the drain when he fell. "Will you be all right on your own for a moment?"

"Yes… But why?"

"I need to shut the water off or I'll have a flood to deal with."

"I'll be fine. But hurry." She urged with a roll to her eyes, as Rufus started toward the end of the hall to quickly tend to one of his many growing concerns while Erryn called out. "I'll meet you in the infirmary!"

- - -

After watching Tseng stubbornly tend to himself and his make-shift accommodations for the evening, Vincent sat silently and shook his head while watching the Wutain pull another sliver out of his hand after collecting some more wood for the small fire he'd started. All the while, he struggled inwardly over whether or not he should give up on caring about the Wutain's pride and try and make amends for the cruel words they shared earlier.

But he had to admit that part of him was actually enjoying watching the old Tseng come out more and more as the man lost what was left of his stature by the second and became more frustrated with his own situation as he quietly cursed and dug another annoying sliver out of his hand. In fact, he didn't even notice that he was partially smiling at the familiarity while he leaned his head to the side and rested it against the tree he'd climbed for a better view.

He must have been preoccupied with something more though, as well as Tseng, because it almost seemed harmless when the Wutain gasped out "Ah…" and then "Leviathan…" when he pulled a dark needle out of his neck and stared at it in confusion before he realised what it was and readied his gun as he shakily dropped the needle to the ground. Then, out of a sudden alarm, Vincent found himself quickly scoping the area and realising that Ten-ji must have found out his nephew was still alive as a group of men began to surround Tseng's small camp with trained Boundfats capable of casting Death Sentence.

And as silently as they snuck up, Vincent readied his gun and prepared to help out his only friend in the only way that guaranteed he wouldn't screw up, and took aim as Tseng prepared his own manner of defence and began firing at whatever visible enemies he could make out as they approached in overwhelming numbers.

- - -

Just as Rufus was about to open the door to make his way down to the infirmary after quickly throwing on a silk shirt and turning off the water, a chill crept across him that he'd never felt before. It was an almost, eerie feeling, and he found himself turning to regard a near-perfect, mirror image of himself, if it weren't for the difference in the clothing, standing casually before him with a devious grin and shadowy eyes that almost looked like they lusted after what stood before him.

It almost seemed as if it wasn't real, and the devious tone that crooned with a hauntingly familiar musical quality only seemed to feed into the intangible air as Rufus actually hoped he was faced with nothing more than a mere illusion, particularly when he considered the fact that the timing couldn't have possibly been worse.

"Surprised?"


	24. Penance and Peril

**Chapter 24: Penance and Peril**

* * *

"Nnngggg…" 

"Hm." Erryn mumbled, as she shone the light into Reno's unresponsive eyes and frowned. "That's strange."

"I did'n do it…" The redhead muttered, as a stream of drool ran out of the corner of his mouth and his hand twitched as if he were trying to pull it away from something.

"Reno?"

"Please… Don't kill me…"

- - -

"Ah." Rufus unexpectedly blurted out, as if he were simply greeting a business partner and extended his hand to suggest he was offering a friendly shake. "You must be Marcus."

With nothing short of amusement, the corner of Marcus' mouth curled up more than it already was and he placed his hands in his pockets. "There's no need to put on an act for me, Rufus. I'm well-aware of your strange quirks."

"I see…" Rufus nodded, while he wiggled his fingers subtly as if he were looking for something to tap them on. "Well, I'd certainly love to discuss them with you. Perhaps we could set aside a date."

"I didn't come here to make an appointment." Marcus warned, as his grin quickly faded and his eyes darkened more than they already were.

"I suspected as much. But unfortunately, you've arrived at a bad time, and I simply must tend to my prior engagement." Rufus coolly informed. Then he turned to open the door and leave while calmly stating. "I assume you know your own way out".

Unfortunately for Rufus though, he didn't get very far, because he was grabbed by the back of his shirt with an unexpected force and swung back to land in the middle of his glass coffee table as it shattered from the abrupt impact. "_RENO. WILL BE. JUST. FINE!"_

- - -

"Maybe we should go inside." Tifa urged, with a nervous smile, as she grabbed onto Rude's arm and attempted to encourage him into her home.

With nothing more than a stone-cold stare and an iron silence, Rude pulled his arm away from her and pulled out his gun while commencing to walk toward the commotion.

"Oh Gaia… Rude!" Tifa exclaimed, and started running after him. "Rude… You can't kill him!"

- - -

"AH-AGH-AAAGGGHHHH!!!!"

The unexpected scream caught Erryn off guard while she had her back to him as she was making an entry in his chart, when Reno's body went flying from the examination table before he smashed his fist into her supply cabinet and grabbed a scalpel as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Shiva!" She exclaimed, with a jump, as the supplies she'd laid out scattered about her feet before she froze when she locked eyes with the wild blue standing no more than a few feet away from her with a disturbingly wolfish grin.

"Eh… Sweet-pee… yer lookin kinda… pretty." Then he tilted his head and regarded her with a feigned regret as his fingers playfully tapped on the blade. "Shame… really."

- - -

Rufus was taken off guard and left in a state of shock as he tried to regain his breath after being stunned and having the wind knocked out of him. Though he did expect some type of retaliation from his brother, he didn't exactly expect to meet with the type of force he'd suddenly faced and discovered he was unable to move when he attempted to get back up.

"I understand you've learned to channel your discomfort." Marcus commented, as he came to stand above his brother and kicked his legs apart before kneeling between them and resting on his palms on the floor by Rufus' shoulders so his face was above his. "May I watch?"

"You're enhanced." Rufus muttered, before he choked up a small amount of blood and tried to focus on the Mako glow in the eyes above him.

"Very perceptive." Marcus purred, and then he pressed the pad of his forefinger on the tip of the President's nose and playfully sang out. "As are you." Before he moved Rufus' open shirt more to the side and placed his hand lightly on the man's side, setting off an unanticipated alarm in the President.

"Gaia… Reno was right…" Rufus mumbled, while making another attempt to focus as he tried to turn over and crawl away.

But he was only allowed to go so far, until the weight of Marcus pressed him down so that his chest was pressed into the broken glass beneath him and the lunatic rested his chin into the crook of Rufus' neck from behind. "Come now, Brother… Don't try to leave just yet… We're just getting to know each other."

- - -

After moving close enough to cast Barrier on both himself and Tseng, the two men managed to defend the small camp fairly successfully and waited for several minutes of silence before they figured the worst was over. Then Vincent moved as quickly as he could to ensure that whatever Tseng was stung in the neck with was harmless before the man suddenly collapsed when he was close enough to catch him.

"If you really wanted to help, M-Barrier would have been more useful."

"Maybe I should just let you die." Vincent retorted with his usual, emotionless tone as he removed his glove to see if Tseng was cold before he ran his fingers lightly over the spot where the needle hit the man and had his hand abruptly pushed away.

"Do I look like Ice was cast on me?" He snapped, and then he stiffened up slightly, as if he was in an extreme state of discomfort.

"If you weren't so difficult, I wouldn't have to use the power of deduction."

"Death Sentence…"

"Not possible. It wears off when the one that cast it is put down."

"Well, I guess that means that we still have company."

After gripping his jaw for a moment, Vincent took a cautious look around for the remaining Boundfat that must have cast the spell and wondered why he couldn't see, or even hear it, while beginning to believe that Tseng might just be a little more penance than Vincent felt he deserved. "How long ago was it cast? How long do you have?"

"Did I look like I was keeping track of time?"

"I only assumed, since you keep track of the number of targets you take down." Vincent commented, as he dug around for some X-Potions to hand over to Tseng. "These should numb the sensations."

"Hm." Tseng muttered, as he accepted them and opened the first one to drink it down while Vincent got up to start scouting the area. "I thought you'd left."

"And leave you on your own?"

"I can take care of myself."

"At this point, you can't even take care of a kitten." Vincent mumbled, while stepping over fallen branches and studying all the enemies that appeared to be dead for any signs of life.

"I heard that." Tseng mumbled, before he grimaced and tried to push himself up so he could feel less helpless. "Besides, I believe I killed more of them than you did."

"What's your count?" Vincent asked, deciding that keeping Tseng involved in pointless small-talk might help keep him alert longer.

"Fifteen."

"Impressive." Vincent quietly commented, as he came across a Boundfat that appeared to be dead, and if it wasn't for the gunman's exceptional hearing, he would have believed it was while he pulled out his gun and fired a fatal shot to put it down and thanked the gods that it didn't take him long to find it. "Considering you didn't actually kill this one, I believe we're even now."

"That one must have been yours to begin with." Tseng sarcastically muttered, before he went to stand and fell over, causing the ex-Turk to run to his aid with a renewed concern.

- - -

"C'mon, Rufus, you're as strong as I am." Marcus taunted, while continuing to pin his brother below him. "What gives?"

"The fact that you cracked my rib isn't helping." Rufus managed to say as coolly as he could. "What do you want from me?"

"What makes you think I want something?" Marcus asked, before lightly blowing into his brother's ear, and then quickly jumping to his feet to deliver a swift kick to Rufus' side.

"Because if you were here to kill me, you would have done that already."

"That's what I admire about you, Rufus." With a strange grin, Marcus scanned his eyes over his brother's bloodied clothes and snorted in approval before walking over to the weapon cabinet in the corner of the room to pull out Reno's EMR. "No matter what, you always manage to keep your cool, _and_ you're perceptive."

Then he turned around and tapped the end against his chin while watching Rufus shakily turn onto his back. "In fact, I almost feel bad about throwing you into your coffee table." He informed, while stepping up to stand over the man again and muttered out "Cure," before he zapped Rufus with a crippling charge and knelt down beside him. "Of course, _almost_, doesn't really mean anything."

- - -

"Ten-ji's office in Kalm…" Ren started, as he took a step toward Erryn, and she took a step back. "Where is it?"

"What?" Erryn gasped out, while she fumbled her hand on the tray near her for something to protect herself with. "Shiva… Ren… I don't work for that madman anymore."

"Don't recall askin that question." he hissed, before he twirled the scalpel in his hand and took another predatory step toward her. "I only recall askin ya WHERE IT IS!"

- - -

"I wouldn't worry about that just yet. One of them is bound to work out this time." Darius said into his PHS, before he hung it up and walked into Ten-ji's office, with his briefcase in his hand, to meet his Boss standing at his window and sipping at a glass of sake.

"It shouldn't be taking him this long."

"As I've mentioned before, I wouldn't worry about it." Darius assured. Then he placed the briefcase on the desk and opened it to reveal a case full of the illegal serum they were still manufacturing. "If I know Marcus, he's indulging in a game of cat and mouse to work up his appetite."

"He's a fucking head-case." Ten-ji muttered, while tapping his ring on his glass. "I hope for his sake, something didn't go wrong."

"Relax." Darius consoled, before he walked up to the man and took his glass to refill it for him. "He'll deliver the package." Then he grabbed a glass for himself and filled it with a liberal amount of brandy.

"Relax." Ten-ji repeated, after he accepted the glass and took a sip, while Darius did the same. "Don't tell me you still think that mental fuck can be trusted after all the shit he's been pulling lately."

"I wasn't going to." The Mideelan answered, somewhat regretful of the fact. Then he let out a subtle sigh and took another sip. "However, I'd still like to think that a part of him still respects you."

With a sudden, sarcastic, snort, Ten-ji muttered out "Bullshit," and decided to down in his drink in nearly one gulp before licking the residue from his lips. "If anything, that little shit is doing the best he can to screw me over." Then he unexpectedly chuckled and shook his head. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing something entirely different than what he was ordered to do… Just to piss me off."

- - -

"Tell me something, Rufus…" In an almost trance-like state, Marcus ran his fingers over the healing wounds on Rufus' chest and stopped at the hem of his pants. "What exactly do you see in that ungrateful degenerate?" Then he leaned over the President to study his face when he received no response and wondered if he should lower the charge on the EMR for the next blow. "Does it have anything to do with the real reason father made you take off your clothes? Did you like it? I've always wondered about that."

"You're disturbed." Rufus muttered, with what little movement he could muster, while staring in the opposite direction of his brother before his body convulsed when another charge hit him.

"Perhaps. But I highly suspect we have a lot in common when it comes to that, for different reasons, and I've always wanted to know." Marcus stated. Then he brushed his brother's bang back and slid his shirt partially from his shoulder before playfully toying his fingers along the man's collar bone. "The way I see it, something must have messed you up pretty good to make you so repressive and lovesick over something that doesn't even love you back, and I'm not exactly sure what it was."

After a short pause, Marcus tilted his head and scratched at his chest before lightly tapping the EMR on Rufus' shoulder while hoping he could get a rise out of the man. "But I don't think it had anything to do with Mother blowing her brains out while you were nearly dying from one of Hojo's intensive experiments, or even Hojo's experiments, for that matter."

"Stop talking and do whatever it is you came here to do."

With a cat-like grin, Marcus crawled over his brother and peered down at him with a wicked dissolution. "I don't think you'd be so eager if you knew what it was I _really_ came here for. So, as an act of good-will, I believe the questions will suffice for now." He crooned, before he brought his mouth down to his brother's ear and whispered. "Exactly how disturbed did the things Father do make you, Rufus?" Then he lightly rubbed his nose against his brother's jaw and wolfishly smiled, before adding. "I want to know what goes on inside that reclusive mind of yours, including the reasons you're so attracted to someone as promiscuous and _hurtful_ as that ingrate _whore_ you call your lover."

"My explanations are of no relevance to you." Rufus calmly informed, while Marcus continued on with his attempt to needle under Rufus' skin as if he said nothing at all.

"If he were _my_ lover, I'm not so sure I'd let him get away with half of the things you do." Marcus admitted, before he returned to a position where he could look down at his brother again and stroked the man's stubborn hair away from his eyes. "After all, he is nothing more than a pet to you, isn't he?" Then he sat up so he was kneeling between Rufus' legs and toyed his fingers along the scars from Boris' cane. "And a pet merely needs discipline from time to time… Wouldn't you agree?"

- - -

"I'm not going to kill him, Tifa." Rude dryly informed with a slight shake to his head as he continued to walk toward the commotion that seemed to be getting uglier by the second. "They're both drunk and fighting in the middle of the street. I have a problem with that."

"Oh."

After taking a deep breath at the lack of faith Tifa had in him, the large Turk pulled out his PHS and made a quick call to the MP department, and then he hung up before firing a shot into the air to catch Cid and Cloud's attention.

"I don't know what this is about. But considering _you_ are armed and the word _plan_ was mentioned, _several_ times, I feel it is my duty to remind you to _stay_ out of Shinra's business."

- - -

With a strong concern, Vincent wound up kneeling over Tseng and fumbling for a pulse as fast as he could. When he didn't find one, he wound up fumbling through the Turk's pockets in hopes that Tseng still liked to carry around illegal items. And when he had no luck there, he ran into the man's tent and started going through all of his belongings, knowing all along, that if he didn't hurry, reviving the man could possibly wind up being the biggest mistake he'd ever make.

And for the first time in a long time, something had actually gone right when it involved the stubborn Wutain, and he wound up thankfully closing his eyes when he found that Tseng hadn't changed that much and a Phoenix Down was found in one of the compartments of the man's backpack.

- - -

When Rufus suddenly grabbed Marcus' wrist without any warning, Marcus smoothly purred, "You are_ impressive_," with a slick grin, before he was swung from his brother and landed, hard, on his back to have Rufus suddenly on his feet with his foot holding the man down. Then he stuck his tongue between his teeth and chuckled while rolling his eyes back as if he was enjoying himself and snaked his hand under Rufus' pants and around his calf. "But what makes you think this isn't what I wanted?"

And before Rufus could react, he was on his back again with his crazed brother looming over him, making Rufus realise that he might have been in a little more trouble than he originally thought. However, it didn't take him long to respond, and he wound up engaging in a wild struggle with the man before he managed to clumsily crawl a small distance on his knees and grab the phone cord to wrap around his brother's neck.

Only, Marcus seemed to be aware of Rufus' intentions and counter-acted by grabbing one of the broken shards of glass and stabbing it into the President's leg before smashing him behind the knees to successfully take him down again.

"That's the fire, Rufus." Marcus hissed, when Rufus held back a grimace as he kicked his brother in the shoulder while stumbling to the floor again. Then, after Marcus managed to hold him down, somewhat, he ran his fingers through the front of Rufus hair and gripped his fist into it so he could wrench his brother's neck back. "That's the fire _I_ wanted to _see_." Then he quickly grabbed the rod before Rufus could react and zapped his brother with a higher charge. "Now, I want to see _exactly _how much you can _take._"

- - -

"Yer life is gonna be cut short if ya don't answer me." Ren warned, before Erryn went into an automatic panic and tried to make a run for it.

But she was unable to get very far as she let out a shocked scream when she stumbled to the floor and was wrestled onto her back by the unforgiving maniac while kicking at him in order to break free. "Ren! You're not well!"

"Tell me sum'in I _don't_ know."

- - -

In his haste, Vincent never even noticed he'd kicked some of the embers from Tseng's fire into the man's tent when he originally ran into it. He didn't even notice the beginnings of the first signs of smouldering smoke creeping from the opening as he fell to his knees and knelt across Tseng's hips while trying to open the bottle that was giving him more trouble than usual, before he wound up smashing the end of it on the ground to get it open.

In fact, he wasn't paying any attention at all to the fact that he was burning down Tseng's only cover for the night, as he pried the man's mouth open, poured the vapour-like fluid in, and then smacked him across the face to get a jolt out of him.

- - -

Rufus had learned a long time ago, to not only internalize his pain, but to ignore it all together. At times, it was the only way he could cope and survive with the brutality he was often faced with as a child, and as a matter of fact, he even once disturbingly admitted to Reno, that he actually liked it and found some kind of freedom in it.

However, this was not one of the times that he actually took pleasure in it, particularly when he knew he'd left Reno and Erryn alone and wanted nothing more than to make sure he didn't do any permanent damage to the redhead. Not to mention, Marcus' disturbing questions were really starting to concern the President, considering it was near-impossible to understand what the hell the lunatic was really after at that point.

But he wasn't overly concerned about it, considering he knew his body was designed to recover quickly, and he was willing to wait while he let his mind wander and suddenly started laughing after he was hit with another charge from the EMR.

"What's so funny?"

"Forgive me." Rufus politely requested, while sporting a cat-like grin that he simply couldn't seem to remove. "I didn't mean to ruin your moment… Please… Continue."

With suddenly shadowed eyes, narrowed in suspicion, Marcus stood with a sneer on his face and tapped the free end of the EMR into his other hand while keeping his foot pressed to Rufus' chest. "If you think this going to work to your advantage, you're _sadly_ mistaken." He warned, in a low growl, before hitting Rufus with another jolt to make sure the effect wasn't wearing off.

"I see." The President mused. Then he started to snicker again while adding. "However, I honestly had no intention of misleading you to such a misguided conclusion." Then he casually added. "I simply couldn't help but find the irony amusing."

With another snort, Marcus simply remained in the same position he was in and continued to suspiciously stare at Rufus as the corner of his brother's mouth uncontrollably curled again while he coolly regarded him back. "Irony."

"Yes." Rufus assured, before confiding. "Father always thought you'd be the better son." Then he smiled with a sly deviance and added. "However, I see now that he would have changed his mind if he knew anything about your own distasteful ways when it came to a… should we say… a questionable attraction of your own?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I would indulge." The President coolly informed before his expression turned stone-cold. "But I'm afraid you might find it offensive."

- - -

By the time the MP's showed up and took Cloud and Cid to the precinct for the night, Rude couldn't help but feel his evening had been ruined beyond all forms of repair. It wasn't so much over the fact that things got even more out of hand than they needed to and he wound up having to put a bullet in Cloud's leg to immobilize him.

It didn't even bother him when Cid suddenly changed his stance and decided to start verbalizing his thoughts in regards to how he felt about the arrogance that Shinra and the Turks carried with them wherever they went. However, Rude did kind of wish that the old pilot would give it a break, and wound up having to handcuff him after meeting an ill-timed fist to the jaw over shooting Cloud.

No, none of that really bothered him at all. In fact, most of it was rather typical of the majority of his evenings, and the only difference was the faces of the people and the locations of the settings.

But he was getting tired of the typical ness of it all, and when Tifa angrily smacked him across the face for sending both the men to 'sleep it off in prison', he decided that it was time to go home.

He couldn't help but feel that maybe he simply wasn't meant to share his life with anyone.

And maybe it was simply time that he faced that fact as he made his way down the dark streets toward his home, on foot.

- - -

"Do you smell smoke?" Were the first words to come out of that ungrateful Turk's mouth; No "Thank you", No "Dear Leviathan… I thought I was dead…" Not even a "What happened?"

No, much to Vincent's growing frustration, the first words to pop out of Tseng's mouth was more or less. "Did you just set my belongings on fire?"

But before the man actually did ask that question, he looked down and decided to put his arrogant focus on the fact that Vincent had taken to straddling him in his fit of urgency to restore Tseng's life, instead of the fact that Vincent had just saved his life. And before Vincent even expected it to happen, he was roughly thrown backward to have his backside collide with the ground, as the man quickly jumped to his feet and started brushing himself off as if he were unnecessarily undignified.

Then the Turk turned around to view his diminishing tent as Vincent's jaw tightened while he subtly sneered and clenched the dirt by his sides in his fists, as Tseng asked. "Why is my tent on fire?" After which, the Turk turned to accusingly regard Vincent while quirking his brow and completely ignored the growing fire in the gunman's own eyes. "Why did you set my tent on fire…? What were you thinking?"

"You. Are. Un-_believable_."

- - -

In all honesty, Rufus couldn't help but find amusement in the situation, even though it didn't really have anything to do with the situation in any direct sort of way. It did, however, buy him enough time and distraction to get his hands on Reno's EMR without Marcus noticing so he could clobber the man across the knees and push him over, before grabbing him by the back of the shirt and throwing him through the balcony door with enough impact to shatter the adjoining window while casually and informatively speaking.

"I understand it would be easier for your congested head to believe there was more that went on behind closed doors than that which has been discovered, and that you know far more about me than I care to know about you." He started, as his brother shook his head after blacking out for a brief moment. "But make no mistake…" he warned, and started walking with a confident stride toward his weapon cabinet. "Unlike you, it doesn't take me a lifetime to know all I need to know about those I'm dealing with…"

"And as an act of fairness… In regards to your earlier question in regards to our Father… I feel it is only fair for me to clarify that his tastes and intentions were far more straight-forward than what you'd like to believe, and that no man has ever touched me, other than those who've had my explicit permission." After that, Rufus pulled out his gun and inserted a loaded clip before briefly closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to ensure he remained calm enough to keep in sync with his fine marksmanship.

"Allowing a half-wit _mutt_ touch you is hardly anything to brag about, Rufus." Marcus growled, before weakly wiping at a stream of blood running from his mouth. "Your _lover _is nothing more than boorish _dog_ that needs to be put _down_."

"Yes…" Rufus admitted, before taking aim as his brother snickered at him. "I'm well-aware of the fact that he would be better off if he were laid to rest." Then he brushed his hand through his hair and lowered his head while keeping his narrowed eyes on his target. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I'm not accustomed to tending to other people's needs."

"Barrier."

- - -

"Shiva! Let go of me!" Erryn cried, as the heal of her foot met with Ren's jaw, causing the man to stumble back and snicker at her, before he slammed her into the wall and held her there with the force of his own body. "I told you. I don't know!"

"Don't believe ya." He snarled, before running the dull side of the scalpel along her unscarred cheek. "Ya were one of 'is whores…" Then he chuckled darkly at her and gripped his free hand into her hair to hold her head still. "What say ya… we give ya some'in… ta match yer nuther scar… Ta 'elp jog yer… mem'ry."

"Nonononono… Shiva … no …" She cried, as tears started to uncontrollably fall from her eyes. "Please, Ren… I'm telling you the truth…"

"Ya used ta be so Pretty." He rasped, before dragging the tip of the scalpel lightly enough for her to feel it but not enough to leave any trace of a mark, before he dropped it and ran his fingers lightly along her scar… "Ya used ta be so… AGGGHHH!"

Without even seeing it coming, Erryn was suddenly thrown away from him and into the table with a bruising force, before stumbling and struggling for air, as Ren grabbed his head as if he were in a sudden fit of agony. Realizing that she had a small window of opportunity, she fumbled her hand along the tray near her, where the supplies had fallen from the cabinet when Ren smashed it, in hopes of grabbing a loaded tranquilizer. All the while, the disoriented redhead muttered out apologies and pleas, as if he was someplace other than where he was and talking to someone who wasn't there.

"I'm gonna help you, Reno…" She muttered, more to herself than to him, while wiping the secretions from her nose with her sleeve and reassuring herself. "I know it's not your fault… You're sick…"

- - -

Vincent had tried. For as long as he could remember, he'd tried to make amends with Tseng. He'd even convinced himself that he deserved the demanding and faultfinding temperament he often found himself facing, along with the cruel and unappreciative treatment that drove him into the comforting arms of a married woman, knowing it would never go anywhere. But he felt it would appease the silent accusation Tseng often threw at him.

And it did.

Or, at least it did, until Tseng decided he didn't approve of Vincent's decision, driving him even more into a torrid affair that wound up irreversibly destroying his life simply to spite the man and prove that he could take care of himself and handle the situation. But he was proven wrong, like he often was in those days. In fact, he was proven so wrong that he wound up having his humanity robbed from him and was left as nothing more than a shell of a man.

But he was still a man inside, and like every man, Vincent had a breaking point.

From what he could recall, he'd only ever felt as angry as he did at that moment only once before, and ironically, it was Tseng that pushed him over the edge the last time. "You are the most self-centered, self-absorbed, _selfish_, person I have ever known." He confided, as he flung the dirt he was clenching in his fists into Tseng's eyes while he rose to his feet to deliver a swift kick into the man's ribs.

With nothing more than the surrounding breeze, and the possible ghosts of a race long-gone present, Vincent stepped angrily forward while Tseng stumbled back in an attempt to avoid falling on the ground and rubbed at his eyes to try and clear them out. But Vincent cared little at that point to take any form of pity or concern for the man, as he reminded himself of all the insults and competitive jibes he'd put up with throughout the years, and he swung the back of his fist across the man's face, before Tseng finally gained some perspective and swung back at the gunman with little effect.

"You want to compare masculinity?" Vincent growled, in an almost whisper as if he was trying to avoid being heard from anyone but Tseng. "Is that what you want? You want me to prove that I'm as much of a _man_ as you are?" With his fist suddenly grasped into the front of Tseng's shirt and his other hand grabbing Tseng's other arm faster than Tseng could hit him with it, he pulled the panting and muddy-eyed Wutain closer so that they were face to face. "Well I've got one on you." He threatened, before he pulled Tseng even closer and lowered his voice to a threatening purr. "I didn't feel that."

Then he pushed Tseng back, in order to protect the man from himself more than any other reason, and realised it was best to walk away before the situation got any worse.

But Tseng's sudden chuckling and admittance that the only picture he had of Elena and his daughter to keep him company was in that tent, caught the gunman off guard, and he stopped as if he'd walked into a wall, before he turned to see the pathetic and miserable display of the man rubbing at the remainder of the dirt in his eyes while trying to focus on what was left of his tent.

"It's like it's happening all over again." Tseng mumbled, before he let himself fall into a slump on the ground and started picking at the soil on his knees. "Everything that matters is being taken away… My job… Rufus… Elena and Allysia…" Then he smoothed his hair back and nodded at a personal recognition "I know it's not your fault…" Then he looked guiltily over at Vincent who'd managed to hide his face behind his hair and his mantle, obscuring any form of expression he may have been showing. "But is that what's happening? Am I losing it all again?"

"I don't know."

With another subtle nod, Tseng looked back at the ground and muttered quietly. "Well… I suppose it would make sense to lose the only friend I have as well." And with a slight sigh, the Turk pathetically embraced his knees and admitted while setting his attention on his diminishing tent. "I honestly can't blame you for walking away…"

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Tseng asked, as Vincent took a hesitant step toward the man. All the while, Tseng never took his attention away from the growing flames. "Don't admit that I'm getting nothing more than what I deserve?"

"You have a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter." Vincent reminded him, as he silently reminded himself he could never have those things. Then he got a little more daring and came to stand at Tseng's side as the man remained on the ground.

"Elena and I fight all the time." Tseng confessed. "I love her… Leviathan knows I do… But she's a stubborn woman, Vince… She's difficult and confrontational."

"Sounds like someone I know."

With a slight sigh, Tseng took note to the obvious analogy toward what Vincent's comment meant, and he turned the corner of his mouth up while leaning to his side to rest against Vincent's leg. "I didn't know what I had until I nearly lost it. What happened to Allysia was enough to make me rethink my choices." He admitted, almost as if he was in a daze. "It made me realise I was nothing more than a coward."

"You're not a coward."

"I was going to ask her for a divorce because I couldn't handle the thought of losing either of them. It seemed easier to simply remove them before I wound up having to deal with what I believed was the inevitable."

"Maybe you are a coward." Vincent admitted, in a mildly playful manner. Then he nudged Tseng away from his leg and sat down beside the man. "Maybe we both are."

Nodding subtly, Tseng turned to regard the gunman and frowned at the fact that he was unable to read the man since all he could view was the mass of messy black hair and the high collar of the man's red cloak. "I always wondered why you did it."

"Did what?"

"Got involved with Lucrecia."

With a slight nod, Vincent turned his own attention over to the flames while his thoughts ran back to the time he'd spent with the woman. "When I joined the science department, she was the only person I found I could talk to." Then he hesitated for a moment and buried his face further into his collar. "You wouldn't talk to me and made it clear you wanted nothing to do with me after what happened… and she was always there when I needed someone…"

"I see." Tseng muttered, with another subtle nod, before he started brushing at the dirt on his clothes again and confessed. "I was afraid it was my fault."

"It wasn't." Vincent informed, before he noticed Tseng shiver and yawn. Then he offered to share his cloak with the man and was relieved when Tseng actually accepted and moved closer to take advantage of what little warmth he could offer.

"Do you know what the strangest part is?" Tseng asked, as he tiredly leaned his head against Vincent's shoulder while closing his eyes.

"No." Vincent answered.

"After everything that's happened, the one thing that bothers me the most, is that I never got a single belonging of my father's to remember him by."

- - -

While ignoring the shots being fired at him, Marcus dove across the room and tackled Rufus to the floor, before they both commenced to struggling for control over the gun. "We're the same, Rufus… Cut from the same cloth." Marcus commented, before he struck Rufus across the head with the President's own gun.

"I doubt that." Rufus retorted, before striking his brother in the stomach with his knee and grabbing onto Marcus' wrist while quickly noting that he had All paired with his Barrier Materia. "Barrier. All." He grunted, knowing he'd be able to cast it on himself as well while reclaiming his gun. Then he tossed Marcus over the sofa and started firing again, as the man rose to his feet and started coming at him as if he were crazed.

"Impressive." Marcus purred while successfully keeping himself free of being harmed by Rufus' bullets. "Perhaps if you weren't such a _queer_, Father would have been just as impressed." Then he bitterly added. "However, I completely understand why he would have preferred _me_ over _you_."

"I believe he would have changed his mind if he'd lived long enough to meet you."

"I think you're wrong." Marcus hissed, before he wrestled the gun from his brother again and then pressed the barrel to Rufus' head. "Unlike _you_, I don't have a taste for _failed_ experiments that act like junkyard _dogs_."

"Clearly, you've never seen him on his better days."

"I'm sure he's a real gem." Marcus sarcastically spat out, right before he pulled the trigger.

- - -

Rude got no more than a few blocks from Tifa's home before he stopped and rubbed at his upper lip. Then he turned around and stared down the street while placing his hand in his pocket and wrapping it around the ring.

He stood there for more than a minute as nothing of real relevance ran through his head. And after that, he adjusted his tie and took a deep breath while realizing the timing may not have been the best.

But he simply couldn't fight a deeper instinct that took control of him at that moment.

And he found himself uncontrollably walking in the direction of Tifa's home with a quickening pace until he got to her door and raised his fist to knock on it. It was 'now or never' he told himself, and he suddenly found that he didn't care about what the answer was as opposed to what the answer would tell him.

"Rude." She greeted, in an almost tired tone, before she crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame while looking up at the man, not really knowing what he'd come back for. But she felt it was as good of an opportunity as any to apologise. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't come for an apology." He told her, before he adjusted his tie again and cleared his throat. "I know I'm not a great man, or even a good one at times… And I'm not going to make any excuses for the things I do that I feel are right, even if I'm wrong or they anger those I care about."

With a nod, Tifa looked down and shifted her weight while politely waiting for him to finish.

"But that's the thing, Tifa." He stated, as she looked up slowly in puzzlement. "I know what I want and what I don't want. It may not be the best trait. But it's the best I have to offer." Then he removed his glasses, and regarded her large, brown, eyes with a strange and conflicting assuredness. "And I need to know if it's good enough for you."

"Why?"

"Because if it isn't, I'll walk away now and never bother you again." Then he pulled out the ring and placed it in her hand. "I'm at my wit's end. I wanted everything to be perfect. Now, all I want to know is… Is it good enough for you?"

"Gaia." She choked. Despite the fact that she'd known and been patiently waiting, she couldn't help but feel a slight shock, as she opened the case and wiped at a tear that betrayed her feelings. It didn't matter that all essence of romance was stripped from the question, nor did it even matter that it was under the circumstances it was under.

And for Rude, it didn't even matter that she couldn't even answer him.

All that did matter, was that she nodded while biting on her bottom lip as she tried to gracelessly choke back her tears and put the ring on, before jumping into the man's arms and sobbing like a lost child.

- - -

"For the record Reno… I never liked you." Erryn grunted through her teeth as she tried to remain steady on her feet while the crazed maniac grabbed the tubing for the IV device with every intention to tie her up with it, as she undid the cap on the needle at the same moment. "Shiva knows I tried."

Then he lunged forward, while she screamed in a panic and stabbed the needle brutally into his neck before hitting the plunger as quickly as she could. "But that doesn't mean I don't wanna help you!"

- - -

When the hammer hit dead air, Marcus cursed and jumped off of Rufus to run to the cabinet for another clip to load the gun with. Then he turned with the newly loaded gun aimed at Rufus, before he paused for a moment and looked at the clock on the wall. "Look at that." He muttered, taking Rufus off guard. "I'm afraid I've overstayed my welcome."

Then he snorted and looked Rufus up and down with a conniving glint in his eyes before stating what he already knew. "Reno's in the infirmary… Right?"

And before Rufus could deny it in hopes of buying some time, Marcus had muttered out "Exit" and disappeared…

Along with Rufus' freshly loaded gun.


	25. Pursuance and Congregation

**Chapter 25: Pursuance and Congregation**

* * *

"Shiva… You're fuckin heavy…" Erryn muttered, while trying to push the unconscious redhead off of her. Then she paused for a moment to catch her breath and grimaced from the pain in her stomach from when Ren threw her into the table, before pushing his hair back and staring at the wound on his head while frowning and muttering to herself. "Talk about a short-circuit… Poor thing…" 

For the short while she sat there, she simply patted his hair down, not really understanding why she felt sorry for him at all. But she decided it was best to not try and think about it too much while giving it another try at attempting to push the deceptively light-looking man off of her.

"For someone who never eats, you weigh a fuckin ton." She grunted, as her efforts came to an abrupt stop when the door swung open and a torn, beaten, and blood-covered Rufus stood there, peering at them both like he'd found a tasty meal.

"Well, well, well…" He crooned, as he scratched at his chest and brushed his hair back before stepping into the room with a strange swagger. "Isn't this a lovely pairing… A dried up _whore_ and an unconscious _slut_."

"Sir?" Erryn asked, unable to hide the confusion in her eyes or her voice, as the man she thought was Rufus snickered at them both while running his eyes dreamily over Reno as he adjusted his torn, black, shirt and ran his finger underneath the black binding he had around his neck.

Then he knelt in front of them and started to wind his hand into the length of Reno's hair until it was wrapped tight around his fist. All the while, he smiled provocatively at Erryn and appeared to be quite pleased with what he was looking at. And before Erryn really knew what the hell was going on, the blonde reached out with his other hand and stroked the scar along her cheek while smoothly stating in a seductive tone. "I quite like damaged goods."

After that, he stood up while pulling Reno along with him, by the hair, and dragging him from her, causing Erryn to return to her defensive mode that she often displayed when it came to her patients as she quickly tensed up and tried to stand while demanding. "What the hell do you think you're doin?"

"Making your dreams come true." He answered, before he took the gun out of his holster and pulled back the safety. Then he fired a shot into her shoulder and practically purred before walking out of the room and slinging the redhead over his shoulder. "Too bad you won't be around long enough to enjoy it."

- - -

"Fuck…" Rufus muttered, before he brushed his bang back and wiped at his upper lip while trying to absorb what the hell just happened. He understood. But it took him a moment. And when it finally sunk in and the lights started to flicker as if they'd been tampered with, he wound up saying it again, only louder, before he suddenly realized he needed to stop Marcus from doing whatever it was that he came to do.

Then he ran to grab a different gun from his cabinet and went straight for the door, before he went straight for the stairwell, as fast as he could, while ignoring the nagging throbs of his injuries and reminding himself that he'd murder that psychotic bastard in the worst way possible if anything unfortunate were to happen to Reno.

- - -

When Marcus arrived five meters from his intended destination, he cursed at his Materia and smacked Reno across the face as if they were both to blame. It didn't really matter that the redhead was unconscious and couldn't feel it, because it still made Marcus feel better. But he wound up getting a little pissed off when he went to start walking the rest of the way to Ten-ji-s office and met a resistance from the redhead, as if something was holding the useless mongrel in place.

"What the _fuck_ is it _now_?" Marcus demanded, as if he expected an answer. Then he moved Reno to the side and noted the man's pant-leg had materialize partially in the wall that surrounded Ten-ji's Office and started chuckling about it. "_Well_… Aren't _we _the lucky one…?" He muttered, before he reached over and tore that part of his pants off before making his own distasteful observation. "At least you're starting to _dress_ appropriately."

After that, he leaned Reno against the wall and held him in place with the aid of his own body while he brushed the man's hair from his face and squinted his eyes to blur the redhead's image. Then he muttered out while running his fingers lightly along Reno's jaw and tilting his unconscious head upward. "I'm _surprised_ Adrienne even noticed the two of you could have passed for brothers… Useless _twit_ that he was…"

Once he was done making his comparison and discovering he could almost see Aldrich if he squinted his eyes enough, he brushed his thumb along he redhead's bottom lip, and then snorted. "It should have been _you._" He muttered, before he snorted again and gripped his fingers with a bruising force into the redhead's arms while wishing the man was conscious enough to respond to him. Then he slung Reno over his shoulder again and started making his way to Ten-ji's Office with a strange grin that completely conflicted with the darkness in his eyes.

- - -

With shaky hands, Erryn pushed herself from the floor and clumsily grabbed a liberal amount of gauze before stumbling to the door while wrapping it as best as she could around her shoulder, in hopes that she could make it to the emergency supplies at the end of the hall before she passed out. All the while, she found herself uncontrollably concerned about what Rufus' intentions were toward Reno, and couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she needed to do something about it.

While letting out a pained grunt, she grabbed onto her shoulder and held tight to it with her other hand, before stumbling against the wall and nearly falling to her knees. All the while, growing dizzier from the strange, flickering lights in the hall, as if all the ballasts were all malfunctioning at the same time. "Shiva…" She muttered with an aggravated roll to her eyes, when she was more than halfway to her destination. Then she slid down the wall and closed her eyes from the weakness she could no longer fight, before stubbornly shaking it off and almost crawling the rest of the way toward the supply's room.

- - -

With the leaves rustling in the mild breeze and the sound of the harmless, night-time creatures making their presence known, Vincent sat, resting his back against the trunk of a tree, while the Wutain slipped from an exhausting consciousness, and innocently rested in his arms. All the while, the gunman's expression remained cryptic and unreadable as he mindlessly stroked the silken hair in a caring and calming manner while he stared off into space and rested his cheek against the top of the man's head.

He was completely unaware of the fact that he was even touching the man, as he attempted to make the effort not to disturb him or wake him, or least of all, start another conflict that seemed to stem from nowhere in particular, other than Tseng's own frustrations to having his life figuratively taken from him. But he understood Tseng's feelings of condemnation, and he understood why Tseng was taking it more personal than most people probably would have.

And like usual, he couldn't help but feel like he was the one responsible for it all.

However, he had no intention of sitting there uncomfortably and worrying about disturbing the man when he felt he had more important things to do. And with a mid-stop from the, almost paternal-like, strokes, he simply rested his hand in the back of the man's hair before coming to a solid resolution.

Then, once he felt secure in his decision, he pulled the man a little more into his arms as if he were hugging him and removed his gauntlet, before he cradled the back of his friend's head and guided him as gently as he could to rest on the ground. After that, he rested the gauntlet near the man's head and then stood to remove his cloak. All the while, he kept his head tilted and his expressionless eyes on Tseng, as if he were watching for any signs of the man stirring and possibly awakening from the change in his position.

And for a moment, he simply held the cloak in front of him and hung onto it, with a mild grip, as if he were hesitating or contemplating something unknown, before he lowered his head with a subtle nod and knelt down to regard the Turk, once more, before carefully covering the man with it in order to ensure he stayed warm. He didn't really know if he was doing the right thing, and he didn't really know if it was something Tseng would have approved of.

But he simply couldn't seem to forget about what Tseng claimed bothered him most, and he suddenly felt a strong desire to make amends with the man, regardless of whether or not he was making another mistake. However, before he left, he subtly brushed the man's hair from his face and pulled the loose strands out of the corner of the man's mouth, as if he were in a strange daze, and wound up smiling subtly when Tseng snorted, murmured something out, and then fell silent enough to ensure the ex-Turk that he was still in a deep sleep.

Then he lowered his head and assured himself that his old friend would be just fine on his own as he checked to make sure the Turk's gun was fully loaded, and then he stood and quietly made his distance, and disappeared altogether.

- - -

After a burning run to the infirmary, Rufus swung open the doors to the main hall and was thrown off balance from the way the lights were flickering. Then he found himself feeling suddenly ill, as if he were about to be sick to his stomach. But he forced himself to shake it off as he reached out to get some added support from the wall to his right and started moving quickly through the hall, looking for any sign of either Erryn or Reno.

"Reno!" He called out, with a faint hint of panic to his voice that he made no effort to hide in the least, before he waved his hand above his head in irritation as if he was swatting at a bug and squinted his eyes from the sickening malfunction in the lights.

And when he received no answer, he started moving forward with a quickening pace. Then he called out Erryn's name and stopped dead at the sight of the mess in the room they must have been in. "Gaia…" He muttered, as he limped in and took note of the shattered glass and instruments strewn about, suggesting some kind of struggle had taken place, before he nearly slipped on something that triggered an even stronger alarm in him when he looked down and saw the dark, sticky, red streaks and droplets leading into the hallway.

With a new sense of panic, Rufus swallowed hard and quickly stepped out of the room to take note of the streaks along the wall as if someone was dragged along it and found himself nearly praying to the Lifestream that it wasn't Reno's, before he started running in the direction that it led to.

- - -

"There you go… prepped and primed for your entertainment." Marcus cockily stated, as he dropped Reno's body to the floor in the middle of Ten-ji's office. Then he let out a deep sigh and pulled out a cigarette and lit it, while noting the angry and questioning glare from Ten-ji. "What's the problem?" He asked, as Ten-ji looked at the clock on his desk while pursing his lips and then back over to Marcus' beaten up appearance. "Are you disappointed that I _actually_ made it back _alive_?"

"Try surprised." Ten-ji stated, while narrowing his eyes in distaste and tapping his ring on his glass. "You were gone for over a fucking hour… What hell happened?"

"I got lost." Marcus answered, as if Ten-ji was stupid for not figuring that out on his own. Then he nudged the redhead with his foot and tapped his ashes on him while Ten-ji sceptically looked him over and snorted.

"I'm beginning to think you're not worth the trouble, Marcus." The Wutain commented, before he came around his desk and waved at Darius to do something with Reno. Then he paused for a moment and held up his hand in a stopping motion while giving Marcus a weary look, before he slowly knelt to his knees and turned Reno over to get a better look at him. "So, what was your plan…? Bash him until he turned into Ren and then bring him here to go berserk on everyone?"

Taking note of the wound on the ex-Turk's head and the large bruise on his neck, along with the markings on Marcus, Ten-ji looked up with a sneer. Then he took a quick look over to Darius and let out a deep sigh before returning his attention back to Reno and lifting the lid of one of his eyes.

"I _found_ him like that!"

"Sure you did…" Ten-ji sarcastically replied. Then he muttered under his breath while gritting his teeth. "His eyes are fucking blue, you dipshit." After that, he turned his attention back to Marcus in wait for an explanation, before commanding Darius to take the blonde out of his sight while he pulled out a strong rope from one of the drawers in his desk and knelt back over Reno to ensure nothing unfortunate happened when he awoke.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marcus demanded, as he tried to struggle out of Darius' grip to try and express his disapproval with the way things were suddenly going. "I thought you were going to kill him!"

"Plans change." Ten-ji answered, before he tested the knots he tied and stood back up to walk over to the two men when Darius stopped to open the door. Then he let out a cheeky smile and placed the palm of his hand against the side of Marcus' face. "You should be used to that by now."

- - -

"Yuffi…" Vincent muttered under his breath, as he walked into the Seventh Heaven and found she was the only person present

With a broadening smile, she yelled out "Vin!" and hopped over the counter to greet him, before stopping dead and setting her focus on the red orb he was holding out as an offering to her. "Oh Leviathan! Is that…?"

"Yours under one condition."

"Name it!"

"Quit calling me Vin." He demanded, and then he tossed it at her and went to sit at the bar.

"Vince?" She asked, while placing the Materia in her armlet and clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Vincent."

"Hmph…" She snorted, before whining out as she walked back, toward the kitchen. "But that sounds so formal." Then she playfully pouted and wondered why he wasn't wearing his cloak or his gauntlet, but thought best about asking, before she disappeared for a moment.

"That mission Tseng sent you on…" Vincent started, with a raised voice, so she could hear him, and in hopes that she'd found out more than what she was asked to. "What did you find out.?"

"Lots of things." She answered, mischievously, as she walked back in with a couple of plates full of food and placed them on the bar. "But nothing about Exit Materia… except that it's still being sold…"

"What about a man named Ten-ji or Tjen Syn?"

"You mean Tseng's uncle?" She asked innocently, while pulling the wrapping off the plates and setting them in front of Vincent, reminding the man about the tight click that existed between the Wutains while he suddenly regarded her with a slight caution. "Last I heard, he's still at his office somewhere in Kalm." Then she leaned over and rested her chin on her fists while smiling at the gunman, and lowered her voice. "Wanna know where it is?"

For a moment, Vincent simply sat there and stared at her with an unreadable expression, before he picked up one of the rolls from the plate and sniffed at it. "How much do you know?"

"Well." She toyed. "I know about a certain, torrid, affair, a murder, and a kidnapping." Then she looked at Vincent and shook her head, before turning to the bar and muttering out "Wutain Politics… only half-truths…"

"Affair…"

"Yeah… Something about Tseng having an affair with another man and killing his father to try and cover it up." Yuffi answered while pouring herself a soda. Then she shook her head in disbelief and muttered. "I always wondered what he did…" After that, she turned around to fill a glass with water for the gunman. "Something sounds fishy about it, though…"

"Why's that?"

"Well… I don't know Tseng all that well… But he has a reputation." She answered, before placing the water down in front of the man. "And from what I know of him… Well… I can see him killing someone in cold blood… he does it all the time… But…" With another shake to her head, and a slight giggle at the thought, she leaned over the counter again and confided with a slight disbelief. "I just can't see him having an affair… Not with a man."

"People are full of surprises."

"Mm… Yeah…" Yuffi mused, before pushing herself up to sit on the counter and snickering again. "But Tseng?" She asked, disbelieving the whole story. "I mean… he's such a perv."

"Perv…"

"Oh, c'mon, Vin-cent… His wife is half his age… and don't tell me you never noticed the way he's always checking out the younger girls."

"I've noticed." Vincent answered, while avoiding her eyes as he put the roll down and picked a wrap up to inspect it.

"Mm…" With a short nod, Yuffi placed her hand on the counter for support and leaned over to Vincent confidingly. "Did you know they banned him from ever using his last name and were going to exterminate him as well?"

"I heard about it."

"Imagine that… Not being allowed to use your own name…"

"He seems to be fine with the one he has now."

"Yeah… But it's not from his lineage… What if he has a son…? He won't be able to pass on his heritage."

"Wutain's put too much focus on things of little importance." Vincent muttered, before he tossed the wrap back to the platter and simply stared at it. "DNA gets passed on… There's nothing in a name."

"Well…" Yuffi started, while being slightly offended by his comment and grabbing a small bun from one of the trays and stuffing it in her mouth before continuing without swallowing. "Maybe you just don't care because you can't have kids."

Suddenly realising she'd gone too far with her comment by the way Vincent immediately closed himself off, Yuffi jumped off the counter and sat in the stool beside the man while swallowing back the remainder of her bun. Then she made an attempt at an apology that appeared to go unheard before the gunman muttered out. "I'd prefer it if you kept everything you've heard about Tseng to yourself."

"Seriously?" She asked, with a genuine surprise, before she explained it was just too juicy to keep under lock and key. "But… Think about it Vince-ent… It's almost too comical… How could you _not_ entertain the idea?"

"Because none of it's true." Vincent answered, still staring at the plate, before he decided to inspect another roll.

"But he's so uptight… It would serve him right to –"

"It's the reason he's uptight."

"Really?" She asked suspiciously, before she leaned over to Vincent and quietly confided. "I heard there were photo's" Then she casually grabbed another bun while neglecting to notice the man beside her had literally stiffened up and continued carelessly with her mouth full again. "Of course… No one's ever seen 'em… So, it's prob'ly just a rumour…"

"I have to go." The gunman suddenly said, as he tossed the roll back on the platter with a sickened loss of appetite, before he immediately stood and started walking toward the door.

"But you just got here!" Yuffi complained, as she got up and went after him.

"You said you knew where Ten-ji's office was." Vincent pointed out, as she grabbed him by the arm to stop him, encouraging him to turn and face her. "Where is it?"

"I can show you."

"Just tell me."

- - -

When Rufus made it to the back room by following the streaks, he found Erryn, unconscious on the floor, and nodded before busting the lock on one of the cabinets and grabbing a mastered Restore Materia. "Cure2" He muttered out, hoping he wasn't too late to find out what happened while he knelt down to check her pulse as her body stiffened and she cried out.

"Erryn…" He whispered, with a strange softness to his voice, while he lightly shook her to get her attention and tossed the bullet that came out, carelessly to the side. "Can you hear me?"

"Shiva…" She breathed out, and immediately pushed herself away from the man as if she was looking at her own death. "Stay the fuck away from me!" Then she took a panicked look around before setting her wild eyes on the President and demanded. "What the fuck did you do with Reno?"

"Erryn." Rufus started again, with a more stern approach, as his desperation went into overdrive. "A man that looked like me… wearing black… Did he take Reno?"

"Wearing black?" She confusingly repeated, as she studied Rufus' clothing and torn appearance before falling into a searching daze and muttering out "Shiva…" while trying to make sense out of the scenario. Then she returned her attention back to Rufus and stared at him challengingly in the eye. "What the hell is goin on?"

"I don't have time to explain." Rufus informed, as he grabbed some gauze off the counter near him to quickly tend to her condition. "I simply need to know what happened." Then he shook his head after quickly fastening the gauze and keeping his eyes fastened to where she was shot. "In the quickest version possible."

"Reno… Ren… He… He attacked me…" She started, as her eyes wandered like she was trying to replay it in an attempt to make sense out of it and waved her fingers about as if she was pointing to all the directions she was tossed. "I don't think he knew where… Or even _when_ he was… I had to sedate him."

"Ren?" Rufus asked, as a new element arose to his concerns. "You sedated him?"

"Yeah… H-he was gonna… kill me…"

"I see."

"Then you… came in…" She continued, before she returned to looking him up and down in confusion. "But it wasn't you… was it?"

"He took him…" Rufus concluded, as he stood up and avoided her eyes while brushing his hand through his hair and avoiding her question. Then he pulled some Hi-Potions out of the other cabinet and tossed them at her before rushing out and telling her to get herself cleaned up.

- - -

"I thought you assholes were going to kill him." Marcus venomously spat out, as he was being dragged against his will, down the hall and toward his room by Darius. "I thought that was the whole fucking reason I _brought_ him here!"

"You know how Ten-ji changes his mind." Darius replied, unaffected by the blonde's behaviour and demands. Then he pushed the man over to his bed and pointed at him to sit, as if he were a dog that needed scolding.

After Marcus complied, the dark man clasped his hands behind his back and turned to scout the wall at the opposite end, where the door was, and settled his eyes above the frame while sighing. "When Hakiou caught word of Reno being returned to us, he offered to return and work for Ten-ji, unconditionally." With a slightly wry grin over the blonde's sudden confusion over the unexplained information he was suddenly receiving, Darius turned to face Marcus and leaned over confidingly and patted the blonde on the top of the head. "And you know how much Ten-ji likes having Hakiou around."

"The guy's a _mind_-fucker."

"Yes… He is…" Darius agreed, before straightening up and smiling again. "Isn't he…" Then he scanned the images on the wall behind Marcus and returned his attention back to the blonde before continuing with the same, emotionless, smile. "But we never forgot how much more agreeable you were when he was around, and we'd like so much to have us all as one big happy family again."

After that, Darius chuckled with a dark amusement before turning and staring above Marcus' door again, and then he oddly asked. "How long do you think it will take Rufus to come looking for Renault…? Hours…? Minutes…?" Then he took a step forward and kept his eyes above the door before continuing. "I wouldn't doubt that Rufus has developed some way to track Reno… Particularly after everything that happened to him the last time…"

"What the hell are you getting at, you manipulative _peon_!"

"Manipulative?" Darius asked. Then he turned around and stared Marcus in the eye with a strange glint. "Ah… Yes… You'd know all about being manipulative, wouldn't you?" Then he grinned again, and let out a satisfied smile before commenting that it was such a shame that Marcus had to be locked up again, and commenced to slowly walk out before pausing in front of the door and feigning a stretch while his fingers playfully tapped above the frame. "I certainly hope, for your sake, that Ten-ji won't get any bright ideas in regards to having that madman _actually _re-condition you this time."

After that, he chuckled again and returned his hands to being clasped behind his back. "After all, threats can only be carried out for so long… And eventually, one will have to actually carry through if they want to have any impact." Darius mused. Then he started to open the door as he turned to face Marcus again while stepping out, backwards. "And if that doesn't work, I'm afraid he might just wind up giving up on his plans altogether and killing you to save him the ongoing headache of your demented head-games."

- - -

Rufus made no hesitation in leaving Erryn on her own as he ran back up the stairs, to his office, to start up his laptop so he could search for the signature of the tracking system he had injected into Reno, and the moment he found it, he stood with narrowed eyes and tapped his fingers on his desk as if he were deep in thought. Then he nodded and slammed the lid shut before rifling through one of the drawers in his desk for more ammunition and for a remote locator.

All the while, he assured himself that he could get to the redhead in time before anything unfortunate happened. Then he stopped for a moment and paused, realising that there was no way for him to actually get where he needed to go within a short enough time to ensure such a thing, and he wound up rushing through the combination safe for his spare keys to the cabinets in his office.

As he rifled through years-worth of paperwork, things confiscated throughout, and a secret stash of alcohol that he'd been hiding from pretty-much everyone, he paused and found himself having to fight the urge to ease his concerns and cripple his own judgement. Apparently, quitting drinking had proven to be a little harder than even Rufus had anticipated, and he chose to keep it hidden from everyone.

But that was beside the point, and when Rufus finally found what he was looking for and toyed with it for a moment while contemplating the risk he was about to take, all manner of weaknesses were forgotten.

"I always knew you were trouble." He quietly confided, before he grabbed an old armlet in the same cabinet, that he figured Reno had probably stolen from someone important, and put it on before placing the Materia into it. Then he stood there for a moment and took a deep breath while taking a careless note of the mess he'd just made, before he stared at one of his drawings he'd done of the redhead that must have fallen from one of the cabinets and muttered out. "But you were always worth it."

Then he closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and swallowed back his concerns before muttering out "Exit."

- - -

With a mischievous grin, Ten-ji ran his fingers along the case full of serum, that Darius brought in, and decided it was a good thing to have, should the need arise. Then he closed the lid and pulled a syringe full of hyper out of one of his drawers and moved to kneel in front of Reno before injecting him, and smacking him, to jolt the man back to consciousness.

"FUCK!" Was about the best reaction, and the most expected one, that he got when the redhead opened his eyes, wide, and realised where he was.

"Well, well…" He started, as his eyes ran over the redhead's face in amusement, and then he grabbed onto the man's thighs to hold him steady while scooting closer and grinning at him with a tilted head. "It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of seeing _you _again, Ren." Then he wiped at his face after the ex-slum-rat spit on him and yanked on his legs to pull him more to the edge of the seat while watching the younger man grimace. "I know Marcus asked you to kill me."

"'E did'n ask…" Ren replied through clenched teeth, before leaning forward as far as the ropes would let him and hissing. "Would'a been glad ta try it anyway, though."

"So, the little fuck demanded it then…" The Wutain mused, before he smiled slyly and looked to the side as if he were slightly impressed. Then he turned his attention back to the unstable redhead and turned completely serious. "I'm impressed… However, I'm not concerned about that."

"'Course not." The redhead commented, as Ten-ji let go of one of his legs to toy with the empty needle. "S'long as ya got Darius kissin yer ass, ya'll never 'afta worry." Then he chuckled and tried to pull his other leg free of Ten-ji's hold while sarcastically commenting. "Ya mus pay 'im well."

"He's generously taken care of." Ten-ji admitted. Then he smacked the ex-Turk's thigh and smiled with a mischievous glow. "But I didn't bring you here to discuss the payment of my employees… After all, you were once quite familiar with the rewards."

"Rewards…"

Taking note of the sarcastic snort that followed the bitter reflection of the man in front of him, Ten-ji chuckled lightly and tapped his ring on the needle. "That's right, Ren… I almost forgot… You have an inability to let go of the wrong-doings you feel I bestowed upon you."

"Ya fucked us both!"

"I NEVER EVEN KNEW UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE, YOU UNGRATEFUL PIECE OF SHIT!" Ten-ji suddenly bellowed. Then he took a deep breath to try and calm himself down in an attempt to avoid bashing the redhead across the face before he looked to the floor and muttered out. "Mind you, I honestly _did_wish they'd have finished you off… But Aldrich…"

For a moment, Ten-ji simply stared into space before he subtly shook his head and tapped his ring on the needle again. Then he sighed and shook his head once more while he muttered under his breath and placed it on his desk. "He was never the same."

Then with another shake to his head, the Wutain straightened up and grabbed Reno by the bang to arch his head back. "_You_, on the other hand, haven't changed _one_ bit." He observed, before he moved closer and pressed his thumb against the gash in the redhead's forehead. "You're still as unpredictable, untrustworthy, and backstabbing as you always were."

"Got my reasons."

"I know." Ten-ji agreed. "What happened to you both was unjust… I actually felt sorry for you both… The way the two of you would _cling_ to each other, and literally _freak _out when you were separated." With a feigned, kind, stroke across the redhead's wound that caused him to grimace, the Wutain smiled, almost sympathetically before wryly adding as he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Of course, all of that changed when he started _forcing_ himself on you, and you tried to counter-act it by turning to women that you had to _pay_ since you couldn't get it for free if your life _depended_ on it."

"Ya tryin ta kick me where it 'urts?"

"No…" With a mild chuckle the Wutain let go and straightened up. "You wouldn't know what hurts…" Then he narrowed his eyes and returned his attention back to the redhead with a devilish glint. "At least, not when it comes to anything that requires emotions… However…" Ten-ji added, as he leaned closer again and placed his hand on Reno's shoulder to attract the redhead's full attention. "I'm willing to bet that I know what _would_ hurt."

After that, Ten-ji straightened up again and smiled as if he'd seen heaven when a subtle knocking sound filled the room, and he turned to look at the closed door from where it came…

- - -

"Gaia damn it, Cloud!" Cid yelled, when the younger man carefully guided the last of the guards to the floor. "You've gone too far this time!" Then he looked around in expectation of more guards showing up, as the ex-Soldier ignored him and pulled the keycards from the pockets of the men he'd taken down.

"I told you… Something's going on."

"Yeah," Cid agreed, as he eyed the man up and down and took a drag. "You losin your fuckin mind about sums it up." Then he started to quickly hover about the man as the ex-Soldier started to walk down the halls of the precinct with one of the guns readied that he stole from the guards.

"You don't find it odd that there aren't more guards?"

"It's fuckin Shinra!" Cid pointed out. "They probably didn't even expect ya to fuckin pick the damn lock on the fucking cell… Let alone take out their fucking rookie guards!"

"You swear too much." Cloud commented, as he kept his focus on his surroundings and motioned for Cid to stop when they came near a corner. Then he whispered without turning to regard the man as he peered carefully around the corner. "You're also too loud… Shut up."

"Too fucking loud…" Cid muttered, before he took another drag and slouched to one side while looking at the blonde lunatic as if he'd truly lost what was left of his feeble mind. "'Course, it's got _nothin_ to do with _you_ rampaging your way out of here, and gettin us both into more trouble than what we started out with."

"I told you, you were more than welcome to stay in the cell." After that, Cloud cocked the gun and cautiously moved forward, still wondering why there weren't any more guards coming to stop them. Then he paused for a moment and let Cid walk passed him before he violently hit the man across the base of the scalp and knocked him out. "In fact, you'll be better off if you don't get involved."

After that, Cloud knelt down and apologised while explaining that he couldn't shake the feeling that something serious was happening. "I wish I could explain what it was." He muttered, before he stood up again and started moving toward the armoury to see if he could find his sword that was taken from him, along with anything else he might need as well. "But I need to get to Kalm… Fast."

- - -

"Ah…" Ten-ji gleefully started, as he opened the door and welcomed Darius and another man, who was carrying a small medical bag, standing on the other side. "Dr. Hakiou… It's been a long time."

Then he chuckled and turned to watch the sudden alarm take over the redhead, as the ruffian violently attempted to struggle free from his restraints when he recognised who the man was.

"I believe you two have met." The Wutain stated, while stepping out of the way to let them both enter and carefully watched the vengeful appearance take over the doctor as the panic continued to take hold of the redhead. "Back in Nibelheim… Wasn't it?"

"Yes." The Doctor calmly agreed, in a soft voice, while eyeing the redhead up with nothing but contempt, in his clear, green eyes, as he gripped the small case he was holding, hard enough for his knuckles to turn stark white. "I worked as one of Doctor Hojo's assistants… Long before my _son _took my place…"

"Ah, yes." Ten-ji agreed, before he smacked the doctor on the back as if they were old buddies, and Darius moved out of the way to take up an empty corner in order to silently stand by. Then he turned his attention back to Reno and grinned hungrily. "Kurn… Right?"

"This is a fuckin joke…" The redhead spat out nervously, as he continued to struggle with his bonds as they dug in enough to make his wrists bleed. "Right?"

"I'm afraid not." Dr. Hakiou responded. Then he walked up to the redhead and pushed the man's head back to look into his eyes and study them. "It's a shame Haldric is no longer with us… Unlike Hojo, I was always interested in the progress of _both_ of you." Then he leaned closer as he forcefully held the lid open to one of Reno's eyes. "But progress is of little importance to me these days." He admitted, confidentially. "Particularly when the loss of my _son_ seems to take precedence over my better judgement."

"Ya sick bastard…" Reno rasped, as he tried to pull his head away while trying to fight the reminder of his experience in Nibelheim. "Yer psycho son tried ta kill us."

"Us?" With a quirked brow, the doctor straightened up and turned to regard Ten-ji with a frightening lack of emotion.

"Yes." Ten-ji confirmed, with a nod, as he humbly stepped forward. "Despite his lack of better judgement in his defence, the little fucker still has a problem with his limit thinking he's an actual person… different from his host."

"Interesting." The doctor mused. Then he returned his attention back to the redhead with a cold indifference. "Perhaps continuing where Dr. Hojo left off will have some benefits for us all then… I take it you've prepared my facility?"

"Yes… Everything you requested is ready."

"And there'll be no interference?"

"As I already said, carry out the task as you please… All I care about is that Renault becomes more agreeable, and you return your services to us."

"Agreed then." The doctor stated. Then he turned toward the other door while ignoring the growing panic and protests from the redhead, and commenced to lead the way. "Bring him down… I'd like to get started right away."

After nodding in compliance, Ten-ji motioned for Darius to take over. Then he started walking out of the room while commenting that it would be nice if the Doctor could be successful in _permanently _reconditioning the little rat, and decided he'd ignore the irrelevant name-calling from the hysterical little traitor.

"Now, now, Ren… Once it's all over, _you_ won't remember a single thing… Just like Reno." Ten-ji chuckled out, while continuing to leave, and musing over the irony, as Darius came up to the redhead and unfastened him from the chair to bring him along. "Hell… If everything works out… _You_ won't even exist…"

"Fuck…" Reno muttered, while he was being pulled to his feet, unable to tear his eyes away from the door. "Darius… Ya can't let 'im do this… Ya promised ya'd pr–"

With a sudden hand pressed firmly against the redhead's mouth in warning, he met a foreboding glare, as the dark man stood between him and the door, where Ten-ji had disappeared from, and shook his head slowly while hissing under his breath, in a tone that only he and the redhead could hear. "Shut. The fuck. Up."

- - -

"Hakiou…" Marcus muttered, as he sat on the edge of his bed and shuddered at the memory of all the things Aldrich told him about that madman, along with his own memories of his own alterations that were done by the very same person. Then he bitterly murmured out "_Hack_-surgeon…" before he turned his attention to the top of the doorframe and suddenly wondered what Darius' fascination was with it.

Then, with a strange grin creeping in on him at the sound of Reno's screaming from somewhere else in the building, Marcus moved more to the edge of his bed and continued to stare at the top of his door. He couldn't help but wonder what in Gaia's name Darius getting at, and found the urge to find out what it was too irresistible to ignore.

But he didn't fall to the temptation right away, and wound up sitting there, for moments more, and continued to listen to the heavenly raucous from the redhead after Ten-ji and Darius left him solely entrusted to the doctor's private devising. Then he gripped the edge of his bed when he heard Ten-ji and Darius enter the hall and walk by his room, as Ten-ji mentioned something about being in the mood for ice-cream and that the Inn's kitchen was open all night, while Darius agreed that it couldn't hurt to have a drink or two as well.

_Idiots…_

While sneering at the thought, Marcus looked back above his door and waited for the sound of the two men to make a fair enough distance. Then he got up and quickly walked to the door as silently as he could and started running his hand along the top of the frame before he suddenly stopped and cursed Darius for being such a manipulative son of a bitch, and wondered what the man's game was, as he pulled the object down and stared at it.

It was a small key, a master key, to be exact, that opened all the doors in the building, including the one to Marcus' room. But his concern over what Darius' angle was had been overridden by his own desire, to go about his own business, when he heard a familiar sound on the outside grounds that didn't belong to anyone that resided or worked within the building.

- - -

Rufus cursed quietly, as he grimaced and stepped on a branch that snapped, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and quietly observe his surroundings. Concerned that it might have given his presence away, he cocked his gun and waited for a few moments until he was secure enough in his assumption that he hadn't been heard.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have cared very much, and would have been ready to take care of himself. However, he wasn't there to take care of himself that time, nor did he want to waste any time having to do such a thing.

No. In fact, his agenda had nothing to do with himself at all that time, and the less time he had to spend dealing with anyone else, the more time he had to attend to the real reason he was standing in the shadows of the grounds of an elaborate and seemingly ordinary, yet successful looking, business office close to the outskirts of Kalm.

And unlike the last time Reno had been captured and tortured, Rufus was dead-determined to ensure that he would be the one to save him this time, and he wasn't willing to let anyone get in his way or stop him, not even his own nagging injuries.

Nor the sudden inconvenience that snuck up on him from the left and stabbed him with something that felt like a pin-prick, causing him to quickly retaliate and pull it out to stab the remainder of whatever was in that needle into his attacker.


	26. Fata Morgana

**Chapter 26: Fata Morgana**

* * *

After letting out a grunt and whacking the needle out of his side, Marcus grabbed Rufus by the front of his shirt and violently pushed him back while hissing through his teeth "_Asshole!_" while the President smirked at him and stumbled as a sudden and strange numbness started to take over his body. 

With a shake to his head to clear it out and an attempt to steady himself by using a nearby tree as support, Rufus discovered he was suddenly having a bit of trouble controlling the rubber-like feel to his limbs and stumbled as a result. "What the fffuck did you inject me with?" He demanded, as he tried to blink the blurriness out of his eyes and Marcus started to waver as if he was suddenly having trouble as well.

"Ssserum…." The President's brother slurred, before he chuckled at the echoing sound of his own voice and staggered to grab onto something to keep himself on his feet. "It'sss… debili… debilitate…inggg."

"Ssserrrummm…" Rufus repeated, as they both fell to their knees and clumsily tried to keep themselves supported. Then he attempted to crawl over to the idiot of a man before suddenly grimacing and hunching over with a strong vomit-like reflex. Only, he wound up dry-heaving instead.

"Yesss… fffery… hehe-hee… fff… v-very… un… un… pleasss… ant…" Marcus answered, while attempting to hack up nothing as well and sloppily wiping at his mouth.

"Gai…ah…" Rufus muttered, while trying to lift his gun that suddenly became exceptionally heavy while a loud pulsing sound filled his head. "Thisss is wha… what… Re… no… wassss…" Stopping to try and shake off the effect, the President grimaced again while trying to fight off the gagging sensation that was causing him to mercilessly double over. "w-wasss… in… jected… with?"

"Nnno…" Marcus answered, before falling onto his back and giggling about that particular incident that happened years ago, as Rufus attempted to try and crawl over to him again. "mmm-mush… hehe… m-musch… mmmore… re… re… fined… Woh… won'… kill… only…. T-tru… truth'n… poss… p-posss… ibly… kn-knock… yoowout…" Then he giggled again and fumbled his hands clumsily about himself as if he was searching for something while trying to shut himself up.

"Wh… what… are yooo… lll-look... look-ing… for?"

"I haffff… hafff… antsss… hehe…"

"Antsss…"

While silently cursing at his inability to lie from the overwhelming nausea that took over him again, Marcus rolled over and pulled a pill from his pocket. "Alwaysss… k-kept sssome…"

"Anti… s-serrrum…" Rufus slurred, as he came shakily closer and Marcus over-exaggeratingly nodded, before heaving again.

"C-comes… in… h-handy…"

Assuming Ten-ji had probably used it on his brother on more than one occasion due to his answer, Rufus asked. "Ten-ssshe?"

With another chuckle, Marcus shook his head like a child and muttered out. "A-All-Allldric… H-hated… liarsss… w-would… i-inj…inject m-me… th-then…beat… beat the… sssshit… outtame…" Then he went to clumsily put he pill in his mouth as Rufus grabbed his wrist and stopped him. "Whenefff… er… thought I was… l-lie… lying"

"And you… liked… him?"

- - -

"Gyah…" With a laboured gasp, the redhead struggled with the bonds that were holding him in place while the Doctor rummaged through his supplies and paused with his back to him.

"You should know by now that struggling doesn't get you anywhere… It will only tire you out."

"Worth it if I can get the fuck away from ya."

"Hm… Your vocabulary is certainly more vulgar than I recall." The doctor observed, before he turned around and leaned over the specimen to give him a shot of something unknown, and then he tilted his head in a curious manner and petted the ex-Turk's hair back. "Of course, you were just a child then… I wouldn't have expected you to be as hostile as you are now."

"What the fuck is that shit?" Reno asked, in regards to the shot he was given.

Ignoring the man completely, the doctor turned his back to him again, and moved about to prepare his tools. "I'm afraid you might start to feel a little dizzy…"

"No shhhit…" The redhead slurred, as he tried to pull his hand up to wipe at his face, completely forgetting about the restraints and suddenly wondering why he couldn't move while he tried to blink the blurry images back into focus. "Don'… yamean… alllot…?"

"Hm?" With a slight jitter to his movements, the doctor turned around and frowned at the thin stream of drool running from the corner of his specimen's mouth and pulled out his handkerchief to attend to it. "I really do find that disgusting, Renault." He informed, as he roughly wiped at the man's face and took note of the muttering and illegible complaint coming from the redhead's discomfort.

Then he grinned slightly and pulled a fluid-filled device closer to the table Reno was strapped to and started attaching clear tubes to it.

"Gonna be sssick…"

"It's designed to enhance you're senses…" The doctor explained; then he shook his head and started attaching needles to the ends of the tubes. "Not make you sick."

"Don'… change… thefffact…"

"Yes it does. It's the same chemical Hojo always used… It's never made you sick."

With a deep sigh, the doctor pulled some old reports out of his bag that looked as though they were about to fall apart and started flipping through them while Reno tried to weakly pull himself loose again. Then the doctor tapped his pen on his chin as he focused on one of the papers near the bottom of the stack. "You know… I remember how frustrated Hojo was when he discovered he'd made a mistake by fusing that Materia with you…"

"He was arrogant in his judgements and failed to research the type of Limits you possessed." Hakiou mused, as he continued to tap his pen and chuckled. "The fact that it was rare meant nothing to him… He was impatient and figured he knew all there was to know." Then he placed the papers down and looked up at the ceiling. "But I'm not like him in that aspect…"

"In fact, even after he turned you into the scrambled mess that you are now, I felt compelled to research your gifts thoroughly. Mostly because, unlike Hojo, I like to _fully_ understand the things that interest me." Then he turned around and frowned again when he saw another stream of drool run out of Reno's mouth and pulled his handkerchief back out to tend to the redhead's lack of bodily control.

"For Goodness' sake, Renault…" He started, with a chastising mannerism, as he began to wipe at the man's face again. Then he hissed at him to "Control yourself" before he changed his tone back to being pleasantly mannered.

"Now… Where was I?"

"Wha… Whatefffer Ten… whatefff he's offf'rin… ya…"

"Oh, don't bargain, Renault… It's really not in your nature."

"Rufff… Shin… rah… more…"

With a chuckle, the Doctor picked up a swab and started dousing it in preparation "Really?" He asked, before he started wiping at key points on the man's body. "Somehow… I doubt he'd give me what I really want."

"Nnng…"

"I'm sorry…" Hakiou unconvincingly muttered. Then he asked. "Is this too cold?" Before he smiled and continued with what he was doing. "Now…"

"As I was saying… About your Limit…" He continued, as he smacked lightly at Reno's hand to stop him from trying to loosen the strap. "Did you know that it's hereditary?"

Then he leaned over the redhead and flashed a small light into the ex-Turk's eyes, causing him to flinch with a sickening feeling and turn away. "It was Kurn that discovered that…" He confided, as he grabbed the man's head to hold it still and forced his eye open. "He discovered that the genetic malfunction can only be passed down from the male gene… Meaning that your father, whoever that was, would have had the same defect."

"Yer… defffectifff…"

"You think you're amusing… Don't you?"

"Think yer'a… n'assshole…"

"Well that doesn't really do you a lot of good, now… Does it?" The doctor commented, as he tapped his fingers on one of the straps around his specimen's wrists. Then he grinned at the man and pulled it tighter with a strong jerk, eliciting a pained hiss from the redhead that seemed to please the doctor very much. "It looks like you're almost ready for your treatment…"

"Tell me… Are you extremely uncomfortable?"

"Fuck…'ff…"

After snickering in amusement at the redhead, Doctor Hakiou grabbed a handful of the tubes and started to insert them into the specimen's veins while reflecting on the memories of his son. "Kurn was so fascinated with you, you know… He had so much respect for you –"

"Gagh-agh!"

"Oops… Sorry…" The doctor apologized, without taking his attention from what he was doing, after stabbing one of the needles in wrong and causing the redhead to jolt from the shock of it. "As I stated earlier… My focus has been a little off since the loss of my son…" Then he snickered, and turned his bitter and accusing attention to the redhead who appeared to be breaking out in a mild sweat. "I tend to be less careful… I'm sure you understand."

"Of course, it might make things a little more uncomfortable for you than they would normally be… And unlike the way I used to actually scoff at Hojo for keeping you poor children awake all the time… I'm afraid it's striking me as a very clever idea… You know… for the sake of science and all, and…"

"Oh!" Hakiou suddenly exclaimed. "I almost forgot to tell you what it is we're going to do with you…"

"I dunwanna know." Reno whined, almost as if it were a plea, while he closed his eyes and turned his head away, before he grimaced at the enhanced sounds that were making him feel more nauseous by the second.

"I don't see why not…" The doctor mused, as he started turning the dials on the machine Reno was attached to and ensuring all the settings were meticulously accurate. "After all, it involves you…."

Then he turned to face Reno and flipped the switch to turn the machine on.

"GYAAAGGGHHH!!!"

"As I was mentioning… Kurn found you particularly interesting… Most of all, your Limit."

"Turn it off!"

"So much, that he studied everything there was to know about it… And do you know what he discovered?"

"Turn it off!"

"He discovered that there was a way to extract it entirely… To set you free, so to speak…

"Nnnng… Agh…!"

"Unfortunately, there is no pleasant way to go about it… and because you're really only one of a kind, since your ability is so rare… It's a little difficult to say if it will be successful or not… In fact, it could mess you up more, really… If you think about it…"

Musing over the possibilities of what could go wrong, the doctor tilted his head and stared right through the redhead, as if he wasn't even there. He'd grown so numb to his own work and the loss of Kurn that he couldn't even take pleasure in the writhing and crying out of the man he thought he'd be more than happy to hear it from, and he found himself, very disappointingly, cold over the matter.

"After all… It's all only theory… And unfortunately… I've been asked to erase everything you've ever known once I'm done… So… You're not going to remember any of this… And I'd be lying if I said that didn't disappoint me."

"Agh…! ha-haghhh…!"

"You'll be a clean slate… So to speak…"

- - -

When Jared awoke at three hundred hours and got up to grab a glass of water, he silently scoffed at the shoddy electrical problems his bathroom seemed to be suffering from and decided he'd make himself a pot of coffee. Only, he found it odd when he turned the light on to his kitchen and discovered they were behaving the same way, and muttered out. "Fucking ballasts."

As a result, he decided he'd turn off the kitchen light and use the one from the living room instead which, he soon discovered, was behaving the same way. "What the fuck?" He muttered, as he knitted his brows together and took a sip from his water while sceptically looking about. Then he scratched at his buttocks and looked over to the door that lead into the hallway to notice the light appeared to be flickering from underneath it as well.

Realising that something wasn't quite right about that, he negligently placed his glass on the edge of the counter where it quickly slid off and smashed to the floor, causing him to silently curse, even though he decided he'd just leave for the time-being, and he rushed to his room to grab a housecoat to cover himself up.

Then he stepped into the intermittently lit hallway and stood under the annoyingly flickering lights, only to notice the door to Rufus' apartment was slightly ajar as it moved subtly from an apparent breeze, and hesitantly stepped forward before he realised something was terribly wrong and went back into his apartment to quickly grab the nearest firearm, just in case.

- - -

After clumsily struggling for an immeasurable amount of time with his brother for the anti-serum, he finally won the battle and immediately took it. Then he waited only long enough for it to have enough of an effect for him to focus and be able to mercilessly knock the other man out, before he stood, straight, and adjusted the scarf around his neck and, almost compulsively, straightened out his dirtied, white, coat and slacks in an attempt to clean up his appearance. Then he knelt down and did the same with the black shirt on his brother before he pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man's head with a strange hesitation.

He had his finger on the trigger and the safety pulled back as if he was more than certain about his intended actions. But for some reason, instead of firing, he simply stared at the unconscious man as if he was suddenly unsure of himself and, or, the situation. As a result, he decided that maybe if he stood and played it all over in his head again, maybe he could re-convince himself of his original convictions of the man and his intentions.

Then with a slight sneer on his face, his piercing blue eyes darkened and narrowed as his posture took on a more assured air and his arm straightened out with a positive aim. After all, the other man certainly deserved it.

But just as the trigger's pressure was about to increase, the sound of an approaching motor filled the air, and an even more deadly coldness washed over the man when he suddenly recognised the sound to be that of a bike. The sound caused him to sneer, as it sunk in, and he found himself slowly tapping the end of the gun on his chin as he turned to face the building and return the safety on his gun with a threatening animosity that made him completely forget about the other man on the ground.

- - -

When Jared made it to the end of the hall with his housecoat on, he pressed his hand lightly on Rufus' door and cautiously pushed it open. "Sir?" He called, in a humble tone, while simultaneously keeping the reminder of possible danger fresh in his head as he cocked his gun. "President Shinra?"

When no answer was heard, he pushed the door further open and stood, stunned, for a moment as he looked around and took note of the obvious disaster that had taken place. With blood-stained glass, smashed, and broken all over the once pristinely white and slightly shaggy carpet, and the torn and stained curtains blowing in the breeze from the shattered windows facing the balcony, Jared kept his gun readied and continued to step into the apartment with quite possibly the dumbest of questions. "Reno…? Is everything all right…?"

He knew they were stupid questions though. But he simply couldn't refrain from attempting to get some kind of a response.

Only, he got none.

After inspecting the entire apartment to discover that the majority of whatever took place, happened in the living room, and that no one was present in the aftermath, meant one of two possible things to Jared.

Either Rufus had seriously injured or killed Reno, felt bad about it, and dragged him to the infirmary, or something worse had happened.

Well, after going through the most obvious of deductions, Jared gathered from a quick call to Erryn's number that Rufus had indeed injured Reno and he was taken to the infirmary as a result. Although _why_ Rufus would have the redhead in his life to begin with, was completely beyond Jared's comprehension. But unfortunately, and much to Jared's growing alarm, the situation evolved into the latter, and things _did _get much worse.

"What?"

"They're gone! They're both gone!"

_Not good…_

_Not good at all…_ Jared thought, as he hung up on the woman who was growing more and more hysterical on the other end, before he wound up pounding on Elena's door with a helpless-feeling urgency.

- - -

While humming a tune from Gold Saucer, like he always did when he felt the need to calm himself down, Doctor Hakiou paid no mind to the growing exhaustion and dying wails escaping from the redhead in the adjoining room and decided he'd tidy up a bit as he settled himself into his new and temporary lab. And with hums turning into whistling, of a tune that wound up engraving itself into Reno's brain for years to come, he moved with a dance-like grace and lively tapped his fingers over the surfaces as he put his belongings in their rightful places.

In fact, he'd gotten so carried away with his playful quirkiness, that he didn't even hear anyone approaching, and as a result, he wound up unconscious and on the floor with no knowledge as to what the hell just happened.

- - -

It wasn't that Elena didn't believe anything Jared told her, or that he didn't know what he was talking about, it was simply that after years of training and always having to know the facts, she simply had to see for herself.

"Dear Gaia…" She breathed out, as she beheld the disaster that had become Rufus' apartment. Then she looked back at her own apartment with a natural maternal extinct and hesitated about proceeding, while proceeding at the same time. "Erryn said he was beaten up?"

"Yeah… She said he looked like he had the shit kicked out of him." Jared answered, as Elena turned her attention back to him and he shrugged. "Her words…"

"Rufus?"

"Yeah."

"And… Someone who _looked _like him?" She asked, as she played over small pieces of information she'd collected over Tseng's exile. But why the hell Rufus would go after the man alone was completely beyond Elena, even though she'd seen him do equally stupid things in the past. "Well… What the hell was he thinking?" She thought out loud, as she shook her head and bit on her bottom lip. "Is there a way to track him?"

And just as quickly as she asked, Jared remembered the tracking system that he and Rude used when Reno came back from Goblin Island. "Reno can be tracked… If Rufus went after Reno…"

"I'll call Rude."

With a shake to his head, he looked her over and corrected her choice of actions. "_I'll_call Rude… You need to find someone to watch over Allysia."

"Yeah… Right…" She agreed, as she paused for a moment and stared strangely at his torso while he looked around and took note of the fact that he might not be able to use Rufus' phone.

"What?"

"Are you…" She started, with a strangely higher than normal pitch to her voice. "Wearing… women's underwear?"

"What?" he exclaimed, and quickly adjusted his housecoat to cover himself up better before snapping with an annoyed tone to his voice. "No!"

- - -

"Reno…" Came a soft and concerned voice, as hands carefully moved along his limbs and body to quickly undo the straps and pull the last of the tubes out of the man. "Reno… Can you hear me?"

"Nnnng… no…"

With little concern over why the man actually answered with a statement that suggested the opposite of his words, the man carefully pulled him to the edge with thoughtful movements, before he leaned over him to check his eyes and frowned at the sight of the unstable colours washing over them like a storm. "Shit… I gotta get you outta here."

"Donleaf me."

"I wasn't going to." He answered, as he wondered how much damage was done to the redhead, and pulled him up to rest him against his upper body while trying to help him off the table. "Can you stand?"

With a fleeting glance, before his eyes rolled back into his head, Reno smiled with a strange warmth and breathed in as if he were inhaling fresh air for the first time. Then he stumbled forward and nuzzled his face into the man's neck and muttered out. "Aldrich…" Before he brushed his lips against his skin and murmured. "I missed ya so much."

Trying not to be overly concerned about the lack of focus, the other man pulled Reno to his feet and hung onto him to keep him steady before the ex-Turk's mouth met his own in a submissive kiss. Then he muttered with a strangled-sounding rasp while he kept his eyes closed and cuddled closer into his rescuers arms. "I thought I killed ya…"

"No." The man answered, with a strange-sounding distance to his voice, and he continued to hang onto the thin male, even when he felt something cold and metallic press into the back of his head, and heard the click of the safety being released. "Looks like we both lose." He said, with a dead tone that was raised enough for the man behind him to hear, as he ignored the gun and continued to look ahead while stroking the soaked red hair and resting his cheek against the top of the man's head.

- - -

"Oh… for the love of Chocobo's…" Tifa murmured in complaint, as one eye opened after she was startled from a deep sleep and looked at the clock by her bedside. "Who in the Lifestream would be calling at this hour?"

Then she looked to the figure beside her and frowned in annoyance at the fact that her phone didn't seem to disturb him in the least, before his own PHS rang and he sat up as if he'd been awake the whole time, and answered it on the first ring. "Rude." He answered, and Tifa shook her head with a strange twist to the corner of her mouth as she got up and dragged her half-awakened feet down the hall to answer her own phone.

- - -

As the faint hint of the morning light crept over the Northern horizon, Tseng turned onto his side and pulled the cloak more securely under his chin to fight off the morning chill. Then he remembered where he was, and why, and opened his eyes with a confused look as he stared with a blurred vision at a shiny, golden object on the ground in front of him.

Wondering what it was at first, he blinked a few times, and then he sat up and yawned, before he rubbed at his eyes and reached over to pick it up and realized what it was.

There was only one reason why Vincent would leave something like that behind, Tseng thought to himself, as he pulled the cloak more securely around his shoulders and suddenly realized that it wasn't a blanket. But _why_, he thought, would Vincent feel the need to tell him he'd return when he always did anyway?

With an uncertain confusion, the old Turk turned the object over in his hands and knitted his brows as he ran his fingers over the smooth metal that had a strange warmth to it, and shuddered at the thought that Vincent might have very well left it, because he might have thought he _wouldn't _return.

"Leviathan…" He breathed out, as he turned his eyes up to the heaven's and held the gauntlet close to his heart. "Please don't let him do something irreversibly stupid."

- - -

"Only _you_." The President warned through his teeth, as he pushed the gun further into the back of the man's head to let him know his patience was on a thin line. Then he leaned closer and nearly growled. "You're the only one that loses."

"If you kill me, he'll never forgive you."

"From the looks of things, he'll never know the difference, _Cloud_."

"You're a real asshole, Rufus." Cloud muttered, right before the redhead grimaced and let out a pained cry. As a result, he chose to focus his attention more on Reno instead of his nemesis and wrapped his arm more securely and supportively around the man's waist. Then he brushed the man's hair back and muttered. "Shhh… It's okay…" Before he pressed his lips against the man's cheek in a caring manner, and then pushed the President's cool, on purpose, by kissing him again, on the lips, and speaking in a comforting tone. "No one's gonna hurt you."

"Too bad you won't be able to say the same for yourself."

- - -

When Tifa returned to her room, she let out a deep sigh and rested the upper half of her body against the doorframe while staring at Rude with a tilt to her head. "That was Elena." She said, with an understanding tone and knowing full-well that something important was going on, before he nodded and she pushed herself upright and came to sit beside the man.

"Things might never change." He informed her, before they both leaned into each other and rested their foreheads together. "Are you sure you'll be all right with that?"

"I knew when I first fell in love with you, that I'd have to take the whole package." With a weak smile, she closed her eyes and shuffled closer to him. "It was either that or nothing."

With a tender nudge from his nose to her cheek, he pressed a small peck against her jaw and muttered out. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I love you too." She answered, with a slight smile, and then she returned his kiss with a more reassuring and affectionate one, before she pushed him away to remind him that they both had errands to tend to. "I'll start a pot of coffee, so you'll have some to take with you."

"No… I'll just grab some from the shop on the corner."

"Are you saying you don't like my coffee?" She playfully asked, as she looked around on the floor for his shirt while he looked for his pants. "Because… if we're going to get married, we're going to have to be honest with each other."

"About coffee?" He asked, as he pulled his pants up and grabbed his socks. Then they both stopped and stared at one another, stone-faced, before they could hold it back no longer and started giggling as the reality of their future together sunk in. "Damn, Tifa…" He started, as he came up to her and accepted his shirt. "There's no one else's coffee I'd rather drink."

Then he placed a small kiss on her forehead and turned to grab his shoes while playfully adding. "Even if it tasted like mud… But seriously, Babe, I don't have time… I'll just grab some at the shop."

And as he disappeared around the corner, she shrugged and grabbed her housecoat while sarcastically muttering. "Guess I'll just make my _mud_ for one, then."

- - -

"You are _such _a fucking _child_, Rufus!" Cloud accused, as he grabbed the man's wrist to keep his aim away from him and pushed him back. "If you really cared about him, you'd be more worried about getting him medical attention!"

"You may be partially right." The Shinra heir commented, as Cloud rolled his eyes and pulled out his sword in case the President decided to try anything irrational. "But what makes you think you have the better means to help him?"

With a quick movement to block the bullet the man fired at him, Cloud dropped Reno to the floor and winced from the pained cry that came from the redhead. But more disturbingly, he also took note of the suddenly amused smirk on the President's face and found himself suddenly returning the amusement with a satisfying darkness. "If you kill me, _Shinra_, he'll never forgive you." Then he narrowed his eyes and taunted with an even more malicious tone. "Then I'll have won."

And from that point, the two men were suddenly tangled together with an unwavering determination to tear each other apart with their bare hands as they tossed one another about in a violent attempt to get the fact that they simply didn't like each other across.

But that was cut short by the sound of Rufus' gun tearing through the air, causing them both to stop dead, and turn their attention to the direction from where it came.

- - -

"What are you doing down here?" Reeve asked, as he finished taking a look at the breakers for the labs. He'd been on every floor and could find nothing wrong with the building's wiring, before he came down to find Erryn running samples under the lighting of an old lantern.

"I figured since the equipment is functional, I could still get some work done." Then she wiped her hands on her lab-coat and made some adjustments on the machine she was at, as it illuminated her with a faint, greenish, glow.

"With no lights?"

"I've worked under worse conditions." She answered, as she limped over to the other counter and grabbed her cigarettes.

With a snort, Reeve tilted his head in curiosity while he watched her light it and sit at the small table in the middle of the room. "Sometimes I forget…" He explained, as he decided he'd join her and take the seat opposite to her. "When you first arrived, you were a pale little waif that was nothing more than skin and bone… Unhealthy as unhealthy could be."

Ignoring the un-flattered look in Erryn's eyes, he tapped his ashes into the small cup and continued. "It's hard to believe you're the same person. You look so much healthier now, almost pretty."

"You give the worst compliments, Reeve." She muttered out, as she moved her arm the wrong way and grimaced.

"What's wrong?"

"Reno's Limit went into overdrive…"

"That's strange. It was just a bump on the head… Wasn't it?"

With a nod, she turned her attention over to the machines and then to the floor while taking a drag, and then she scratched at her scar. "I can only guess it's accumulative… Wish I had somethin to compare it to."

"Like what?"

"Another Limit that behaves the same way."

Out of nothing more than sheer curiosity, Reeve leaned onto the table with his arms folded and asked her, what, exactly, was the type of Limit that Reno had. "I keep hearing about it. But I honestly have no idea what's so unusual about it. I must admit, I'm rather curious."

"It's a rare Level Four, Type-two… That's what they call it. Even though it usually continues to evolve beyond that, they don't bother charting it… because it's so rare." She answered, as Reeve stared, thoughtfully at her. "Most people are only capable of generating a Level One, Type-Two… If they're injured enough in a lifetime." Then she snickered sarcastically and tapped her ashes. "Unless they're people like Sephiroth or Cloud, who were genetically altered to build up faster… But even they were only capable of generating a Level Four, Type-One, and that was with the aid of external Items…"

"According to _research_, anyone who's capable of exceeding, or going beyond, a Type-One of a Level Four, or even capable of hitting a Level Four without external aid, is considered to have a genetic defect. They lack the gene required to cap them off… But what's also interesting, is that anything that goes beyond that point is all relatively the same."

"The same?"

"Yeah… It's almost like the Limit becomes unstable when it hits that point, and it takes on the characteristics of a symbiotic parasite that practically takes over the host, for however long it lasts. But I have a theory, that it can be capped off or controlled. Only, I can't use samples from Reno, because his was tampered with."

"What about Vincent?"

"No." She said flat-out, and shook her head. Then she took another drag and tapped her ashes. "Vincent is probably the only person on the planet who suffers from L-4, T-2 starting all the way from the first one. But that's because he was also tampered with."

"L-4, T-2?"

With a roll to her eyes and a sarcastic snicker, the corner of Erryn's mouth turned up and she turned to regard the man who was giving her his undivided attention. "Abbreviations… much easier than sayin the whole damn sentence." She muttered. "Plus… Give everythin a dumb title and no one knows what you're talkin about… Makes me look smart…."

"Ah…" Reeve muttered, with an almost smitten-looking smile, before he put out his cigarette and sat back. "So, what exactly is it that you need, and why?"

"I just need a sample from a healthy host." She answered, with a nonchalant shrug. "One that behaves normally."

"What kind of sample?"

"Just a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid and the usual blood samples, depending on what I can find… I might need more… So I can understand how the defect is supposed to act when it's functioning properly… But I can't imagine needing to go that far."

"So…" Reeve started, with an unusual hesitation. "You don't actually _need_ to see the Limit."

"Oh, Shiva… No." She assured, as she got up to check the output from whatever tests she was running and read over them, and Reeve followed. "In fact…" She added, with a bit of a forced snicker, "I'd rather not see it." Then she turned to see Reeve nodding and running his fingers over the counter as if he were suddenly lost in thought. "What I've seen from both Vincent and Reno is far more than enough to convince me that it's _way_ too unstable and uncontrollable for me to want to deal with it in person."

With another dazed nod, Reeve continued to stare at the counter before he muttered out. "I don't like pain." Then he turned his attention to Erryn and immediately snapped back into focus. "That's why I send out the Cait Siths."

"O… kay…" Erryn replied, with no attempt whatsoever to hide the fact that what he said made absolutely no sense in the least to her.

Ignoring it completely, he continued. "Do the extractions hurt?"

"Ex-tractions?"

"The tests… Samples…"

"Oh! No." She answered. "Well, not unless the donor's a real wimp."

With a slight chuckle, Reeve stepped closer and pulled out another cigarette as if he were nervous about something and needed another one to help him grab his bearings. "I'd be willing to let you take some samples…" He started, as he kept his eyes averted from her and lit his cigarette. "If you can guarantee me that it won't hurt."

- - -

As Reno shakily stood and gripped onto the table for support, he kept the gun aimed at the ceiling and struggled to maintain what little focus he could. "S-stop… f-fightin…" He rasped, in between laboured breaths. Then he stumbled to the table and slid to the floor while turning the gun to the two other men. "Er I'll… m-make ya… s-stop…"

"You wouldn't _dare._" The President confronted, as he and Cloud both pushed themselves cautiously from the floor.

"Nnng…"

"Rufus…" Cloud warned. "Now's not the time to be a dick."

"Give your orders to someone who's interested, Cloud." Rufus muttered, as he kept his eyes cautiously on the redhead and slowly straightened up.

"Don't you mean someone who's capable of following them?" Cloud muttered, as he crawled forward, and kept his eyes compassionately on Reno while asking in a soft tone. "You don't want to do this… Do you?"

"I dunno…" He whined, as he stiffened his arm to warn the ex-Soldier to stay away from him. "I…" After a hard swallow, he tried to clear his head again and answered, "No…" Then he turned the gun on himself, causing the President to push Cloud out of the way and leap forward before anyone would have known what happened.

"RENO!"

- - -

"What?" Erryn asked, as she took a double-take at the man and stepped forward. "Reeve…? What're you sayin?"

"I'm saying I'd be willing to help you out." He casually answered. Then he took a drag form his cigarette and added. "As long as it doesn't hurt." After that he looked her up and down and frowned. "And if it will save you from undergoing the humiliation of being tossed around… But I honestly can't do it if it's going to involve any pain, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to lay down some ground rules, as well."

"Ground rules…" She sputtered out, flabbergasted and confused, as she looked around the empty space as if she was reading something and not really hearing a word he was saying, and then she went into a dead shock for a moment before she slowly and cautiously asked. "Are you aware that it's hereditary?"

Looking like he was just told something incredibly obvious, Reeve admitted. "Of course. It's run in my family for generations… My grandfather and those before his time, my father, myself, and my son…" Then he paused for a moment to take another drag from his cigarette and ignored the way she was looking at him. "Now, about my conditions for the tests… I outright refuse –"

"Your son?" Erryn asked in astonishment, cutting the man off from continuing. "Great Shiva, Reeve…" With a short pause to accommodate a nervous and disbelieving snicker, Erryn pulled another cigarette out for herself to try and help keep her occupied and focused. "You're not telling me you're Reno's –"

"What?" Reeve asked, before he chuckled out. "Oh, goodness. No!" Then he brushed a stray lock behind his ear and continued to chuckle while stroking at his goatee and lightly repeated himself as if he wasn't trying to convince only her. "No…"

"Well, after the colourful things you told me you've done…" Erryn wryly stated, while scratching at her scar. "It's not exactly –"

"I told you those things in confidence."

"Yeah… well… You told me you've always had a thing for redheads, and that you slept with a good portion of Wall Market's population. And if I were to put those facts together, and the fact that Reno's mother was a redhead, who was also a hooker, I could very _easily_ jump to the conclusion that you're Reno's –"

"Oh, please, Erryn…" Reeve muttered, as he started to scratch at his chin. "Just because I went through a wild phase when I was a child doesn't mean I'm Reno's father… Besides, I'd never cheat on my wife like that."

"Your _wife_?" Erryn started again, while maintaining her genuine astonishment. Then she blinked a few times and shook her head as she tried to cipher through the details of Reeve's best kept secrets.

"Is it really that hard to believe I've been married before?"

"Uh… no…" She admitted, as she sang it out in a dumb-sounding tune while she wondered how many other secrets the man kept from everyone. "So… I guess… That would explain your son, then…"

"No." Reeve answered, as he shook his head and muttered. "I wish…" Then he took on a somewhat solemn look and explained. "I had Taron with my second wife… Now, about my conditions… I really can't –"

- - -

"You're brother kicked the shit out of you. Didn't he?" Cloud spat out, as the President grabbed Reno the moment the redhead passed out on his own. "That's what's got you acting so frazzled." Then he watched the Shinra heir put his gun in his holster before he lifted the man out in order to carry him to safer place. But he stopped the moment he was near Cloud and refused to acknowledge the man as he addressed him with a foreboding tone.

"I want you gone from Midgar, Edge, and anywhere else on or near this Gaia forsaken Continent, for good"

"I'm not going anywhere, Rufus." Cloud fired back, while also refusing to regard the man. "In fact, I think I might find a place closer to the Shinra Tower… To make sure you don't try to cover anything else up." Then he turned to challenge those intensely piercing and shadowy blue eyes that were suddenly glaring at him and smirked, before he brushed his hand along Reno's hair as he rested, limply, in the President's arms. "I might even come to check up on him from time to time… to make sure he's okay…"

At first, the President didn't even respond to the taunt. Instead, he only stared at him with a stone-cold expression that gave no hint about what was going through his mind, before he adjusted Reno more firmly in his arms and turned his waist slightly to remove Cloud's hand from the ex-Turk's hair as he warned him in a dead tone. "I may not kill you because of him, Cloud. But rest assured; if you continue to put your business where it doesn't belong, I will make you wish I had."

"You don't scare me, Rufus."

"Your ignorance comes as no surprise." The younger man casually answered, as he formally walked away with little care over the way Cloud was gripping his sword and leering at him.

Then he stopped under the doorframe and stiffened when Cloud coldly stated with his back to him. "You know he called me Aldrich… Right?"

"Better that, than your name." He casually answered, and stroked Reno's hair to elicit the same jealous effect from the ex-Soldier when he turned to watch the President leave, before he smirked and muttered out. "Exit."

- - -

Several hours passed as Ten-ji and his confidant sat in the relaxed atmosphere of the Inn's near-empty ambiance before they finally decided they'd head back to the office to an apparent disaster that genuinely took the old Wutain by surprise, as his good friend remained calm and seemingly unaffected like he always did.

When they initially discovered the unconscious doctor, Ten-ji threw a fit that came as no surprise to his good friend. And when they discovered the empty lab that Reno was supposed to be in and looked as though it had been ransacked and deliberately destroyed by a sharp object to ensure it would take a great deal of time and money to restore, Ten-ji's temper went into overdrive, as the obscenities flowed from his mouth like a wild-flowing river and several meaningless, yet breakable, objects were thrown.

Once again, that took his Mideelan friend by no surprise.

Perhaps it was dealing with Ten-ji's uncontrollable tempter for several years, if not something that felt like an eternity at times, that always kept the darker man calm and collected. Either that, or it was simply something he would have expected to happen, regardless of how flawless Ten-ji thought his plans were, and decided it wasn't worth reacting to.

After all, years of trying to beat something down that simply rises to ensure you that you can't, taught Darius something that Ten-ji never seemed to be willing to learn.

But he hoped, for the sake of his friend, that he'd eventually figure out that Reno, and anything involving him, was somehow, something that Ten-ji should have given up on all together right from the beginning.

And to Darius, it had actually become something of a form of entertainment.

However, he would never say that out loud, nor would he ever admit it to another living soul. After all, the man wasn't braindead.

But there was still a remaining concern to the Mideelan as he listened to the angry shouts and watched his Boss' skin-tone steadily redden. Well, there were several, actually. But his main concern at the time was, _where 'exactly' did Marcus go?_ And _What exactly 'did' happen?_

Most of it was just simple curiosity though, as he pondered over the number of slashed up guards about the premises and poured his Wutain friend another glass of sake while trying to get him drunk enough to calm him down and talk some sense into him.

"And WHERE THE FUCK IS MARCUS?"

However, Darius was having a little trouble with the latter and realized he was running out of time, as he inwardly tensed up and remained completely unaffected on the outside. "I will go find him." He assured his boss and good friend, as he calmly stood from his seat and set his brandy near the edge of the Wutain's desk. "Hopefully, he will still be on the premises somewhere."

While answering to why he suspected as much in his own words of assumption, Darius found himself having to endure a few moments more of convincing the other man that he did not need him to accompany him as he searched the grounds. "After all that's happened; it would appear that the worst is over… For now." He assured the man, before he straightened his suit and tested his rope by walking to the door. "And I feel it would be safer for you to remain indoors and unseen."

With nothing more than a nod from his boss as the Wutain re-filled his glass and grunted at him, Darius made his way to the grounds to seemingly know exactly where the young blonde he was looking for laid. Then, not willing to take anything on chance and knowing that the only way to truly tell the difference between Marcus and his brother was from the difference of the scars on their necks, he knelt down beside the unconscious man to move the black binding around his neck, enough to reveal the confirmation he was looking for.

Considering the God's must have been smiling down on him at that moment, and that the younger man was still alive, Darius nodded to himself and returned the binding, meticulously, to its original position, before he leaned over to lift the lid of one of the man's eyes, and outright smiled when he noted how dilated they were.

"Looks like someone's had a nasty blow to the head." He observed, in a slightly melodic way, while he stroked the blonde's hair back and commenced to inject him with a healthy dosage of the anti-serum he came cleverly prepared with. Then he carefully lifted the man and carried him back to the office while stating in a not so believable voice. "I certainly hope this little ordeal won't disorient you in any way."


	27. Sentiment

**Chapter 27: Sentiment**

* * *

Almost two months had passed. 

During that time, the President brought Reno home with more questions thrown at him than he cared to answer as he carried Reno down to the infirmary and immediately handed the man over to Erryn with the simple order of "Fix him."

He appeared agitated to everyone, and more quiet than he normally was. He even went so far as to bury himself in every piece of paperwork he could find within his office, his apartment, and the rest of the building. And to everyone's surprise, he only came down once, near the beginning, to check on Reno's progress and almost seemed as though he really didn't care whether the man lived, died, or wound up as something in between.

No one was willing to ask what had happened, and no one knew what it was about. All they did know, was that he wanted his brother found and removed from the face of the planet, and that the Turk's were to keep an eye out for Cloud and refuse him any rights to enter the building, regardless of the circumstances.

Also, during that time, Tseng managed to talk Rufus into letting him come home, even though the event was cumbersome and more trouble than it seemed to be worth. "Well, I don't want you here." The man he raised told him, flat out, when he initially called to try and state his case.

But Tseng pursued in his goal with the simple argument that Ten-ji knew he was alive and that there was no point in hiding any more while blatantly stating his opinion on Rufus' behaviour at the same time. "I think it's time you grow up and get over it, Rufus."

"Very well." Came the bored reply, as the man looked down the hall through his open door and watched Elena lock up her office, before she walked toward the elevator while he played with the pen in his hand. "I'll send Rude and Jared to pick you up."

"Sir, With all due respect, Elena is a better pilot than Jared."

"Is that so?" The President asked, as he smirked and continued to watch the woman as she waited with her arms folded in front of her and tapped her foot. "I suppose we'll have to hope nothing serious happens that would require him to fly then."

- - -

Down in the infirmary, Rude and Tifa were the one's who remained by Reno's side and tended to his recovery. At times, it seemed like it would never end. They didn't mind being the ones to watch over him, though, since they both genuinely cared about the man. In fact, in a strange sort of way, they were relieved to have the full privilege of knowing exactly what was going on with him for a change.

However, despite having full access to their friend again, Elena couldn't help but constantly ask, several times, what happened in regards to both Tseng's and Rufus' adventures, and why Rufus was more intolerable than usual. But whenever she asked her husband about either, he simply clammed up and remained tight-lipped while seeming more concerned about where Vincent was instead.

"I know you know something." She confronted, again, as Tseng helped her prepare their dinner. "You always know what's going on."

"I'm afraid I don't this time." He answered, before he pecked her on the cheek. Then he opened the fridge to pull out some vegetables. "Rufus is still refusing to talk to me."

Strangely enough, though, Tseng didn't really seem all that interested in even trying to talk to Rufus or make amends with him. Instead, he was more interested in trying to locate Vincent in hopes of making sure the man wasn't putting himself in some kind of danger.

His search for Vincent was never questioned by his wife, since she was able to piece together, on her own, that Tseng was close to him and probably worried more about him than anyone else after what Hojo did to the poor man. She even went so far as to aid Tseng whenever she could, and managed to come up with a few leads. But every time they were close, Vincent went mobile again and, like always, he left no trace.

"Yuffi…" Tseng paused, as he pursed his lips in frustration while speaking to her over the phone. "He must have said something."

"All I know is he was interested in Kalm… That's it…"

"But he's not in Kalm. I've had people looking for him in Kalm, and he's not there." He replied, in the Wutain tongue, as his daughter came up and tugged on his hand to let him know she was thirsty. "Are you sure that was all that transpired?" He asked, as he stood from the kitchen chair to pull out a glass and open the fridge. "Are you sure he didn't do or say something that could have been a hint? Something subtle?"

"No." She answered, as her voice took on an argumentative tone. "I told you, he was looking for your uncle. I told him his office was in K –" Suddenly cutting herself off as an apparent thought struck her, she muttered "I wonder…" Then she paused again, as if she was pondering something of importance and irritating Tseng to no end with her sudden inability to finish a sentence. "Hm…"

"What?"

"Well… I mentioned something about photos to him…" She slowly offered, almost as if she was digging for information from the Turk. "I didn't think about it then… But…"

"For Leviathan's sake, Yuffi, would you just spit it out?"

"Well… He acted like he was in a hurry all of the sudden… Like he couldn't wait to get away and maybe… _deal_ with it…" Then she musically asked with a lowered voice. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about any _photos _would you?"

"Photos of what?"

"Oh, nothing… Just some rumour I heard in Wutai."

"Yuffi…" Tseng muttered, unable to fight the frustration of talking to her while he cradled his forehead as if he was fighting the onslaught of a headache. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and from the sounds of it, neither do you."

Then he hung up on her and shook his head while handing a half-filled glass of juice to his daughter and wondering what the hell she was talking about.

"No luck?" Elena asked, as she came out of the bathroom with dampened hair and a towel around her neck to keep the moisture from her robe, and noticed him leaning against the wall and staring at his phone with a baffled look on his face.

"Absolutely none." He answered, while still staring at the object and wondering why Yuffi was acting almost accusatory toward him over a set of photos. Then he sighed as if it were far too trivial a matter for him and turned his attention over to Elena and pulled her closer so he could put his arm around her. "It's like trying to track a ghost."

- - -

As each day progressed, Reno appeared to respond better to the treatment Erryn was trying on him, and he became more aware of what time and place he was at. He also seemed to recall and remember more of his past than he did before.

"At times, it's like he's his old self." She muttered, as she shrugged when Reeve asked her what her thoughts were on the matter. Then she turned around and told him she couldn't thank him enough. "It'll take some time. But it looks like he'll eventually be able to have the same control that you do over his limit… Or at least… Close to the control you have."

It was under Rufus' orders, when she told him she'd found a way to possibly help Reno to simply "Go ahead." But oddly enough, the man never asked her a single question in regards to what she'd discovered, and he cut her off the moment she went to explain what it was and that there were no guarantees since it was relatively new and untested.

In fact, the man didn't even look at her as he stood facing his window and waved his hand at her to tell her in the most uninterested of tones. "You're dismissed."

In a strange sort of way, Erryn was relieved that she was able to keep her discoveries under lock and key. She was even more relieved that she was able to honour Reeve's requests entirely since he felt it was embarrassing and was uncomfortable with letting anyone know.

However, she wasn't relieved with the way Rufus was behaving over the matter. "Sir? Don't you care about –?"

"I said you're dismissed."

Well, with plenty of permission and time spent with Reeve, she'd come to learn that the man had quite a rebellious streak in him when he was younger, more so than she originally thought.

She discovered that he married his first wife under a veil of secrecy because his father never approved of her. She was a lower-class citizen, and to top it off, she was a dancer at an exotic club in Sector 3. "I fell in love with Lily the moment I set eyes on her…" He told her, before he fell into a dream-like daze and commented on how beautiful her hair was. "It was just like Reno's, very rare."

But after a year of being married to her, she disappeared and was presumed dead. He spent several years looking for her and never found her, and eventually, he gave up and settled down with a woman his father had been trying to set him up with from the beginning and had a child with her.

He never really fell out of love with his first wife, however, and wound up burying himself in his work, mostly for the love of it. But also, partly, for the escape it offered. "I'm afraid I never really loved her." He told Erryn, in regards to his second wife, and because he was rarely around, she left him and took his son with her.

The part that bothered Erryn the most about that, though, was the fact that his second wife made every attempt to keep him away from his son, and she outright stated. "That's ridiculous!"

"Not really…" He admitted, with a slight regret. "Her argument was that I hardly spent any time with him anyway." Then he sighed and scratched at his goatee. "She felt it would be less confusing for him if I stayed away."

- - -

On the other end of the world, Marcus was re-acquainting himself with his own life. He seemed almost confused when Darius first brought him inside, as if he clearly had no idea where he was or what he was supposed to be doing, and after Ten-ji's order to have Dr. Hakiou look at him, it was confirmed that the man was hit relatively hard on the head, and more than once.

"From the looks of it, he continued to hit you, even after he knocked you out." The doctor observed, as he cupped the younger man's chin to tilt his head up and pressed on a tender spot, before he turned to Ten-ji and informed. "He may be disoriented for a couple of days."

"Why?" Ten-ji asked. "How much damage was done?"

"Just a concussion… His head will hurt… He may feel nauseous… But I wouldn't expect it to last." He explained, as if it was really nothing to be concerned about while he withdrew his attention from the younger blonde to regard his employer. "His body is designed to recover quickly… He could even be back to his old self by the end of this day."

"Good." Ten-ji blurted out, as he gave the blonde an unimpressed look and muttered out. "I'd like to have him healthy and good to travel by the evening."

"Are we relocating?" Hakiou asked, as he scratched at his scalp while his other hand twitched.

"Well, I'm not fucking staying here after everything that's happened." The Wutain answered, before he nudged his friend and ordered him to "Keep an eye on that idiot, would you?" Then he stared at the blonde with another unimpressed glance. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave the little shit on his own for a while… What do you think?"

"I think you're right." Darius agreed, as he stepped forward to help the blonde from the examination table and take him to his room so he could quickly re-acquaint him with his surroundings.

- - -

It didn't take long for the young Shinra heir to recognise and realise where he was and why. And much to Ten-ji's concern, and Darius' apparent lack of concern, there were still several things he didn't seem to be able to remember, even after the duration of a month. He seemed eager to recall those things though, and made no attempt to hold back any questions he had. And often, after he received an answer, he'd simply grow quiet and then appear to be trying to work something out in his head.

"You told me it wouldn't last longer than a fucking day!" Ten-ji confronted, over a month after the incident as he followed Doctor Hakiou around the make-shift and portable lab he set up in his Wutain Villa. Figuring it wasn't the best of ideas to remain in one place for too long, he decided to remain on the move until things settled down enough.

"Look, Ten-ji." The doctor confronted, as he quickly turned with a syringe in his hand and startled Ten-ji enough to make him step back. "I've checked over your _precious_ protégé more times than I care to count." Then he giggled when he realized he was holding the syringe rather threateningly and set it down. "There is_ nothing_ wrong with him."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, you imbecile, _I_ designed him." He calmly and musically answered. "I believe I'd know if there was something to be concerned about."

"You did not _design_ him, you beady-eyed little freak." Ten-ji reminded the man, as he pointed his finger accusingly at him. "You only worked on him enough to mirror Rufus' condition to avoid suspicion."

"Fine… Let's be literal then… I _enhanced_ him." The Doctor agreed, as he rolled his eyes and giggled about it. "He's near indestructible and designed to recover quickly, just like his brother. His system is more flooded with Mako than those in Soldier that are designed to flush out toxins quickly and mend all wounds as if it were priority. Of course, his is a different strain of Mako and highly experimental, probably leaving him with some uncharted abilities… But rest-assured, Ten-ji, I studied what Hojo did to Rufus to degenerate him, and what Erryn did to stabilize him, and after proceeding with my own variations to achieve the _exact_ same _end_-result, I can guarantee you that there is no way Marcus could even _remotely_ suffer damage as permanent as you are suggesting."

"Then why the hell is he acting like he's still affected?"

"Given Marcus' history?" The doctor asked, while he stared challengingly at the man with his clear, green, eyes. "Are you seriously asking me why Marcus is behaving strangely?"

With a short nod, Ten-ji tapped his ring on the counter he was standing near and briefly looked away, before returning his attention to the doctor while humbly noting. "You think he's playing a game with me."

"Once again…" The doctor started, as he returned to siphoning a sample from a small jar with the syringe he was holding earlier and placing it on a small glass plate to watch the results under his microscope. "Given Marcus' history…"

"Well, I suppose I'll just have to play along then."

"Don't you always?"

- - -

Near the end of the hectic month that passed, there was still no sign of Vincent, Ten-ji had re-located more than four times and was on his way back to Kalm to tend to a business deal with some local partners, and Reno had been let go from Erryn's care.

"Are you sure he'll be fine?" Rude asked the woman, repetitively, as she kept her back to him and took Reno's temperature.

"He's been unrestrained and free to roam for over a weak now, and he seems to be able to control himself better and know who he is most of the time… There's really nothing more I can do for him down here, and he'll probably be happier at home."

Unfortunately, no one really knew where that was anymore, given the way that Rufus was acting and avoiding everyone. And to make things even more uncomfortable, Reno had taken note of it also.

"Wherever that is." He muttered, immediately silencing everyone else in the room as they inwardly agreed with him. But being the semi-good sport he'd always been, he ignored the sudden silence and pushed himself to sit at the edge of the bed while asking his usual questions.

"Can I smoke?"

"Would you listen if I said no?"

"What about drinkin?"

"Why do you ask?"

Despite all the usual bantering and assumptions between Reno and Erryn, and much to everyone's surprise, Rufus actually showed up. However, he left no room for disappointment and acted no less aloof than he'd been acting.

He even went so far as to keep his attention as far from Reno as was possible and proceeded to ask Erryn if, when, and how often Reno needed to come down for treatments and how often he needed to take whatever medication she was keeping him on in order to help keep his limit under control.

"Twice a day for the meds, and three times a week for the treatments." She answered. Then she handed him the bottle and frowned when he simply stuck it in his pocket without even looking at it. "It's not one-hundred percent though. He still has lapses. But they're nowhere near as bad as they were."

"I see."

About the only time Rufus even seemed to acknowledge anyone other than Erryn, was when Reno accused him of only showing up to make himself look good, and that he could shove his image where the sun didn't shine. Of course, Rufus ignored him for the most part, and simply commented on how charming he was in the least of impressed tones.

Then he escorted the man up to his apartment with a grip that suggested the redhead would have to be out of his mind if he even _thought_ about trying to go anywhere else.

- - -

Not a word was exchanged between the two of them until they were in the privacy of the apartment, and that was only when Rufus detachedly ordered Reno that he wasn't unpacking in the guest room the moment the man made an attempt to enter it.

As a natural result, Reno simply snorted and blurted out "Fine… I'll find a hotel then," while stuffing a cigarette into his mouth and biting on the filter while he lit it.

"No you won't," Was Rufus' simple and cold reply, as he seemed more interested in his cuff than he was in the redhead, and adjusted it while cocking his brow as he pulled a stray thread out and focused on it as if he was keenly dismayed by it.

"Ya kiddin me?" Reno blurted out in response, while he ignored the loose ashes that fell to the floor from the cigarette he still had between his teeth. "Ya don't come'n visit me once… Ya treat me like shit the moment ya do… An ya still expect me ta share yer fuckin bed?"

All Rufus did as a reply, was cock his brow again, as he looked at Reno with a shadowy emptiness and asked why in Gaia's name would he have expected anything else.

- - -

After a week of things going hot and cold between Rufus and Reno, due to them both being angry at each other for various and unexplained reasons, things started to cool down slightly. There was still a lack of affection between them though, and neither one of them even attempted to try make any kind of commemorative attempt at making amends with the other, even though at times, it almost seemed like one of them wanted to.

But it was always at a time when it seemed like the other one didn't want to, and it turned into a stubborn battle between them like it so often happened in the past.

Often, during Reno's more lucid moments, he would go to the roof's gardens and simply remain there and reflect over everything he was capable of reflecting upon, until the evening air became too cool for him and he wound up trekking down to the bar within the building to continue to drink himself into oblivion, before he'd stumble home to an empty apartment.

Why he stayed, he didn't really know, and why Rufus wanted him to stay, seemed like an even greater mystery, since it was obviously clear the man was angry at him for something and acting like he literally couldn't stand being anywhere near him. Only, Reno couldn't seem to figure out why or what it was, except that, maybe, it had something to do with Rufus' brother.

"Dunno, Man…" Reno muttered, as he looked at his watch and took out his medication. "Ain't got no clue what the hell happened."

"So, you still can't remember anything about being at Ten-ji's?" Rude asked him, as he frowned and watched the man wash his pill down with a healthy gulp of whiskey as they sat in a heavily shaded area, despite the fact that it was already dark out.

"Not a thing…" He breathed out, before he shook his head to lazily get his bang out of his eye and looked up at the hazy sky. "S'funny, though… The more I try an think about it, the more I remember everythin else."

"…"

For a while the two men fell silent and Reno leaned forward to rest his forearms on his knees while lighting a cigarette and staring ahead. "Ya know what's strange?"

"No."

"I never took the time ta really appreciate these gardens." He muttered, before he chuckled and sat back to look around. "In fact, I don't even think I recall 'em bein here."

"It's all new." Rude informed, as he grabbed Reno's bottle from him and took a drink for himself. Then he handed it back and adjusted his shades before making himself a little more comfortable. "A lot of things changed when…"

"I was gone."

"…"

"Seems like Rufus changed a lot too." Reno observed, as he continued to stare ahead as if he were in a daze. "Like he don't really care. But he ain't willin ta let go of what he thinks belongs ta him." Then he started to shake his leg and took a drag from his cigarette. "Sometimes I wonder if he ever really did…" He muttered, before he snorted and continued. "Then I wonder why I really care about whether or not he cared… Then I wonder why the fuck I'm sittin here wonderin about somethin I should'n even be wonderin about in the first place… He drives me crazy, Rude…" He breathed out. Then he let his head fall back and folded his arms across his chest.

"I wish I could help you." Rude offered, as he rubbed at his temple and took another drink from Reno's bottle.

"Wish I could help myself…" He bitterly muttered back. "I keep thinkin 'bout what ya said when ya first confronted me about 'im… Can't help but think ya might've been right."

"What did I say?"

"Ya said he'd destroy me." Reno answered, before he reclaimed his bottle and took another large gulp. Then he let out a sarcastic breath through his teeth and turned to face his Mideelan friend. "I feel like such a fuckin tool, ya know? Like a fuckin toy fer everyone ta play with." Then he flopped back and gasped out "Gah…" while shaking his head and staring at the sky again.

"…"

"Am I that fucked up?"

"Reno…"

"Shit." The redhead started, cutting Rude off, as he noted the time on his watch. "Weren't ya supposed ta be with Tifa tonight?"

"She'll understand." Rude answered. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about standing her up. But at the same time, leaving Reno by himself when he obviously needed someone to talk to didn't exactly seem like the right thing to do either.

"Nah, Man…" Reno muttered, as he returned to looking back up at the sky. "Ya should go… I ain't in the mood fer fuckin anythin else up tonight."

"Reno… You're not –"

"Jus go, Man." With a slight agitation to his voice, he sat up and took another gulp before taking another drag from his cigarette. "There's two guards behind me and three on patrol around me… Ain't nothin gonna happen… An I ain't gonna be responsible fer screwin up yer relationship… Screw up enough things as it is." He muttered, before he took another drink and sarcastically added. "Ain't exactly lookin ta expand."

"…"

"Not yet, anyway…"

"I'll only go on one condition." Rude answered, as he set his stone-serious eyes toward Reno.

"What's that?"

"You promise you'll call me if anything goes wrong, even if you just need someone to talk to."

"Fer fuck's sake, Man…" Reno rasped out, when he looked up at the man as he stood. "What the fuck are ya… my girlfriend?"

"Reno…"

"Whatever…" He blurted out, cutting the man off again, before he took another large drink. "Yeah… If it'll get ya ta fuckin go… I'll fuckin call ya… alright?"

Still not entirely comfortable with leaving the younger man on his own, Rude knew from experience that he couldn't really argue with him and wound up letting a stressful breath out before he rustled Reno's hair and tapped him on the head a couple of times. Then he reminded him before he took his leave. "Not everyone thinks your worthless, Reno."

"Yeah… Whatever…"

"…"

- - -

After a few minutes of simply sitting there and staring at the direction from which Rude made his leave, Reno frowned as he scratched at the back of his neck and looked about him as if he had a sudden lapse of time, before he seemed to adjust and remember where he was. Figuring it was about time he headed back to _Rufus'_apartment and probably went to sleep, he decided to get up, only to wind up standing there as if he was frozen.

Then he silently cursed as he watched an unexpected puff, resembling dream powder, surround the two guards near the exit before they both collapsed to the ground.

_Fuck…_

As a result, he decided he'd take Rude up on his request and nervously crouched down in the shadows while attempting to call the man, and he almost finished hitting the button before his PHS was abruptly pulled from his grasp and he shut his eyes, tight, in anticipation of the worst.

Then he jumped when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and the bottle was taken away from him. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Came a shy and quiet-sounding voice. "I just wanted to see for myself, that you were okay." Then he pulled the redhead closer and held onto him. "I'm sorry if I scared you. But Rufus left me with no other choice."

"Ya could'a stayed away."

With a subtle nod, Cloud tilted Reno's head and mumbled while stroking the man's cheekbone with his thumb. "I heard Erryn found a way to help you." Then he brushed the red strands from his eyes to get a better look at them. "Is that true?"

"Yeah…" The redhead answered, as the blonde continued to mindlessly pet at the back of his hair. "But she won't say where or how she came up with the solution."

- - -

"Hm." Was the only sound to fill the dead silence of the President's office while he stood in front of the screen and watched from the surveillance cameras of the roof's gardens. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that it almost looked like Reno was falling for the ex-Soldier, regardless of the fact that the redhead was telling the other blonde that he never wanted to see him again.

"Look…" He told Cloud, as Rufus listened through the audio. "If things don't work out between me'n Rufus… I don't want ya wastin yer time… waitin…"

The redhead was unusually polite about it though, and even appeared to blush when Cloud put his hand on the man's shoulder, unlike the way he would have reacted to someone he didn't care about.

"I'm jus tryin ta be honest with ya… ya know…? I mean… Rufus was'n exactly someone I wanted ta be involved with in the first place…" He informed, as he took the last drag from his cigarette and then flicked it away from him. "An yer kinda in the same league… Ya understand what I'm sayin?"

As he backed up toward the entrance of the building, Cloud quietly nodded in full understanding of Reno's wish to return to a world of denial, causing Rufus to simply mutter out "Hm" Again, before he turned the screen off and paused at the sudden silence that followed a few heavy footsteps from the audio that was still running.

Then he simply chose not to wonder what he'd missed, and brushed his hand through his bang after killing the feed. After that, he walked into the receptionist's office as his secretary re-entered from her dinner break.

"Sharin…" The President started, as the woman looked up with her brow quirked.

"Yes, Sir?"

"You're fired." He coolly said, with a flat-out tone, before he pulled out his gun and pulled the trigger faster than the woman could have reacted.

- - -

After a slow journey toward the apartment, Reno tossed his keycard in the small bowl by the door and leaned against the wall with his hands in his pocket while staring at the floor and letting out a heavy sigh. Then he looked about the darkness and noted a small light streaming from under the bedroom door and wondered if he'd forgotten to turn it out.

Not really caring too much about whether he did or not, he shook his bang out of his eye and pushed himself from the wall while figuring he may as well get some sleep. Or even on the off-chance that Rufus might have been home, maybe he could attempt to salvage whatever the hell it was they had before he went completely crazy over the matter.

"Yer home." Reno quietly observed, after he opened the door and noted the President simply resting above the bed covers, fully clothed, and with his attention fully given to the paperwork he was looking over. When he received no answer, Reno merely raised his brow and shrugged. Then he quietly closed the door behind him and muttered. "Thought ya'd still be in yer office."

After noting his second attempt at communicating with the man was as successful as his first, he had to admit to himself that he was getting a little tired of the cold and silent treatment he'd been receiving ever since he returned home and figured he'd make his best attempt at making some sort of amends.

Or at the very least, he figured he'd at least try and get to the bottom of it.

"Ya haven't said much since I came back." He pointed out, as he removed his jacket and slung it over Rufus' dresser to test the waters.

"Hang that up."

Fully noting that the man didn't even look up to coldly make his request, Reno nodded and bit on his bottom lip. Then he muttered "Later," While he unbuttoned a few more buttons on his shirt and started to crawl onto the bed from the foot's edge. "Figured we'd talk first."

"There's nothing to talk about." Rufus answered, as he placed the paper he was looking over to the bottom of the stack and started scanning his eyes over the top one. Then he pushed Reno back when he came closer and stated as if he was looking for something to disapprove of. "You've been drinking."

"Yeah…" With a mild chuckle and a determination brought about by a need to rectify things, Reno ignored the push and continued to come closer to the man. He also ignored the fact that Rufus tensed up as he approached. "Would'a went easy on it if I'd known ya were gonna be home."

"Are you saying I'm at fault?" Rufus asked, as if he wasn't really interested in an answer, and let out a bored sigh as he moved away slightly when Reno leaned closer and placed a light kiss on his neck. "Don't."

"Why?" Reno asked, in his best attempt at a seductive tone, before he placed his hand on the man's thigh and breathed into his ear. "Ya gonna tell me that after all these years an trouble ya went through ta get me, that yer suddenly not interested?"

"If this is your attempt at trying to get me to talk to you, I'm afraid tha – mph."

The redhead couldn't help but notice the President's resistance to his bold kiss at first. But after a few moments of not allowing the man to push him away, he couldn't help but feel he was making some sort of head-way. And the moment he felt he'd broken at least one barrier, he pulled back just enough to let them both breathe and licked his lips. "I think I know why ya've been actin so angry."

"I doubt that." Rufus responded, as he jumped slightly when a violating hand made a skillful attempt at arousing him.

"Then tell me if I'm wrong." Reno muttered, while placing the odd, and chillingly adept, light kisses along the other man's jaw and upper neck as he continued to test the waters by moving his hand more assuredly between Rufus' legs.

"You're always wrong."

Ignoring the cold response, Reno couldn't help but notice the slight shake and breathiness to the man's voice and the fact that he hadn't attempted to remove the redhead's hand either. "Ya ain't gonna rile me tonight, Ruf…" Reno warned, as he got even more cocky and undid the button on the President's pants while muttering something erotic into his ear. Then he started to undo the zipper so he could slide his hand in and attempt to break the barriers down further.

And apparently, he was a little more successful than he meant to be, since Rufus dropped his papers and changed their positions with a heated kiss that turned wildly intense after pushing Reno onto his back as if the President wasn't interested in being submissive that night.

"This… uh…" Reno tried to mutter, whenever oxygen allowed him to. "This… Ain't exactly… what I had in mind..." He pointed out, as he laid there sprawled underneath the man while he was practically being devoured.

"Really?" Rufus breathed into his ear, as the buttons snapped off of Reno's shirt when it was suddenly ripped open and caused him to jump. "I was under the impression this was exactly what you wanted."

"What?"

"I'm sorry." Rufus sarcastically stated, as he pulled the man's shirt down and around his arms enough to constrict his movements. "Was I mistaken?"

"Fer fuck's sake, Rufus!" Suddenly feeling a strong sense of alarm, Reno attempted to struggle loose and away from the man, only to wind up being flipped over and pulled toward the edge of the bed. "What the fuck do ya think you're doing?"

"What you obviously want me to do." The man threateningly growled into his ear from behind. "Or perhaps you'd prefer it if someone else were to do it."

"Ya've lost yer fuckin mind!" Reno cried out, before he let out a pained grunt as he tried to stop Rufus from undoing his pants while simultaneously trying to free his arms.

"Really?" Came the cold reply, as the man pushed the redhead's face into the mattress, making it difficult for him to breathe. "I suppose that was bound to happen after everything you've done to ensure it happened." Then the man roughly brushed Reno's hair from his ear and leaned closer to purr into it. "After _everything_, Reno…"

Then he chuckled mockingly into the redhead's ear and pushed the man's head further into the mattress. "And to top it off, you not only act like you _hate_ being here, you exhibit the constant need to flirt with _Cloud_, OF ALL PEOPLE!" As he bellowed out the last part, he yanked Reno's belt off so quickly and forcefully that it cut into the man's sides and caused him to let out a muffled cry as he continued to try and get the hell away from the suddenly crazed President.

Then Rufus suddenly went calm for a moment and factually confronted as if it were nothing more than a normal conversation between two gossipy individuals "I know you were with him tonight… And I know you let him kiss you…" Before he suddenly yelled loud enough into the redhead's ear to make Reno jump in an alarmed panic as a relentless ringing set in. "AGAIN!"

- - -

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Ten-ji spat out, as he threw the tie across the room that Darius brought to him, before the man shrugged it off and proceeded to refill the Wutain's glass. "I told you I hate that fucking tie!" Then he pulled his glass away as the man was still pouring and obnoxiously stated. "I thought I told you to throw that fucking eye sore out!"

"I think it looks good on you." Marcus observed, as he calmly knelt down to pick it up and run the fine silk through his fingers, "It brings out the colour in your eyes."

As he ignored the way his boss was suddenly looking at him, and the fact that Darius couldn't appear more uninterested in their interactions as he stared intently out the window, he casually stood and neatly folded it. Then he placed it back in the bureau and pulled out a more neutral coloured one and brought it to the man with an oddly complacent smile.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Ten-ji asked, as he unthankfully grabbed the tie and turned to Darius. "Is he fucking playing with me again?" Then he turned back to Marcus and pushed him away from his view of the mirror as he commenced to put the tie he apparently approved of on and meticulously adjusted it. "I'm warning you, Marcus… This fucking complacent attitude of yours isn't fooling anyone."

"I was only stating a fact." The blonde cockily defended, as he came up behind the Wutain and pulled his hair back to help keep it out of his way and irritating him even more.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that having Hakiou back is actually making you nervous." Ten-ji muttered, as he batted the blonde's hands away again when he attempted to help him adjust his jacket. "But you'd best keep in mind, Marcus." He warned. "I'm not falling for whatever twisted game you're trying to play this time." Then he turned and leered at the blonde while the younger man shrugged and pulled out a cigarette. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you out of my sight, no matter _how_ much you try to convince me that you can be trusted."

"Mm." Marcus muttered, as he lit his cigarette and defiantly stared back at the man. "Yes, yes… I'm well-aware of the fact that you'll have me conditioned by your little freak-show downstairs." Then he took a satisfying drag, and exhaled while adding. "However, I'm sure you can certainly see there is no need."

"You think that cocky little attitude of yours is going to – DARIUS!" Ten-ji suddenly yelled, making the darker man jump but having no effect on the blonde whatsoever, as he cut himself off from what he was saying. "What the hell is so fucking interesting out there?"

"Sorry, Sir." The man apologised as he pulled his attention away from the window. Then he glanced back once more, causing a shadowy figure outside to step back in caution. "I suppose I'm just anticipating trouble after everything that's happened."

With a stressful sigh, Ten-ji tapped his ring on the pad of his thumb and shifted his attention between the two men, and the window, before settling on Darius. "I know." He admitted. "Unfortunately, this deal can't be cut anywhere else." Then he walked up to the man and roughly patted him on the shoulder. "Don't stress over it too much though." He muttered, in a calmer voice, as he looked away and concentrated on the deal he was about to encumber. "As soon as we're done here, we'll be off… Safe and sound again."

- - -

He stopped struggling when he came to terms that he couldn't win, and when it was over and his arms were released, he placidly pulled his pants back up and his buttonless shirt back over his shoulders. Then he calmly stood while keeping his attention on the floor and started walking toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Rufus asked, as he casually did his pants back up and sat down on the bed before picking his papers back up to continue going over them.

"Gonna get a drink." Reno answered. Then he scratched at the back of his neck and subtly shook his head.

"Don't take too long." Rufus called, with a strange smirk on his face that the redhead failed to notice since he was refusing to look at him. Then he added. "In fact, I believe I could use one myself."

"Sure." Reno answered, after he opened the door. Then he asked while still refusing to look at the man. "Vodka?"

"Actually…" Rufus started, in a goading tone. "I believe I could use something stronger… Something to take the taste away." Then he grinned with a chilling amusement, as he watched the redhead stiffen before he asked Rufus what he had in mind. "I believe you know those cupboards well… Surprise me."

"Sure…"

With a heavy sigh, Reno quietly closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment while simply staring into space. Then he swayed for a moment as his eyes flickered and he attempted to fight it off before he started walking calmly and quietly toward the main door of the apartment as if he were in a trance.

Once he was in the hallway, he pulled his shirt more securely across his chest and started walking with a strange resolve toward the exit stairwell, and the closer he got, the quicker his pace became. But the moment he heard the apartment door open and close behind him, and the sound of someone's quickening footsteps approaching behind him, he outright bolted and started to run down the stairs with a sickening burn in his legs and his lungs.

- - -

"All right…" Ten-ji started, while he continued to look over the papers Darius handed him as they stood in his observation room. All the while, he ignored the handful of men that were keeping an eye on the Shinra monitors they still had access to. "Let's get this fucking meeting started." Then he looked the dark man over with a wary approach while stating. "The sooner it ends the better."

"I agree." Darius distantly answered, as he turned his attention back to the window as if something had him more concerned than he was letting on.

In the mean time, Marcus flicked his ashes and turned his suddenly undivided attention over to one of the hallway monitors, where an angry blonde had a rough grip on a strangely dazed and complacent redhead, and was escorting him back to his apartment.

With a genuine interest in what was suddenly going on, Marcus moved closer and pushed one of Ten-ji's men out of the way while ignoring their complaint, and took note of the strange way the ex-Turks eyes were churning. Then he took a drag from his cigarette and thoughtlessly sat down in front of the monitor, before he placed his fingers on the screen and traced the man as he took on an expression as equally shadowy as the man dragging the redhead.

All the while, Marcus seemed to be completely unaware of his surroundings while he observed the state of the redhead's clothes and the marks on his body. He even seemed to be completely unaware of the fact that Ten-ji had called his name, more than once, and that each attempt became louder than the previous one.

"MARCUS!"

After still receiving no response, Ten-ji turned back to Darius who also seemed preoccupied with something and smacked the man on the shoulder as if he was genuinely fed up with the fact that he was surrounded by fucking airheads all of the sudden. Then he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, toward the dazed blonde in front of the monitor, and asked. "What the fuck is he doing?"

With a knitted brow, Darius leaned slightly to his left and looked over the Wutain's shoulder before stating the obvious. "Looking at a monitor."

"I know _that_, you idiot!" Ten-ji yelled, as if he felt like he was being dragged to his wit's end on purpose. "I've called the little shit at least four fucking times!" He stated, when he realized that Darius didn't even here him calling the blonde either. Then he turned to the blonde's direction and tapped his ring to the pad of his thumb again. "I think he's ignoring me on purpose."

With a sigh, Darius stepped around his boss as the man yelled "Idiot!" at Marcus, and then typically stated that he thought something was wrong with him as Darius placed his hand on the Wutain's shoulder. "Sir…" He started, in a calming voice. "I'll deal with him." Then he looked at his watch and tapped on its face. "You need to get ready."

After that, Ten-ji calmed down slightly and frowned as he looked down at his papers. Then he ordered Darius not to take too long and to bring Marcus to his office where he could keep an eye on him.

"Sir?" Darius asked, with an obvious confusion over why Ten-ji would want to watch over someone he viewed as a menace during an important meeting.

"Well, something outside's obviously gotten your attention." He muttered, as he looked the man over with a mild study. "And with the way the two of you are acting tonight, I think it would be better if Marcus stayed with me since you appear incapable of keeping your undivided attention on him." Then he muttered as he stepped further away and smoothed a stray hair back. "That way, you can go outside and deal with whatever the hell it is that's got you so interested."

In agreement, Darius nodded and walked up behind the blonde as Ten-ji left the room. Then he placed both hands on the man's shoulders and took note of what had him so preoccupied.

He may have missed the part where Reno appeared complacent all the way until they made it to the door, and he may have missed the part where Reno suddenly turned on the President the moment he attempted to open the door. But what he didn't miss, was the all-out fight the two of them were having. And in a way, he was somewhat thankful there was no volume and wondered why no one came out of their apartment to see what the hell was going on.

But then again, he was well-aware of the fact that most people were probably used to the two of them fighting, and therefore, no one really felt a need to concern themselves with it.

"Rufus…" The dark man started, as he caught the blonde's attention and patted lightly on the man's shoulder. "Appears to have lost control over his little pet again." Knowing full-well it was something Marcus had always hoped for, he knelt down behind him and carefully took the idling cigarette from the man's hand to put it out while smoothly adding. "Lucky for you…"

"Lucky for me…" The blonde dazedly repeated. Then he got up and stood to face the Mideelan while darkly stating. "I understand Ten-ji wishes to watch over me this evening…"

But what he didn't bother to say, was that he was also aware of the fact that Darius was ordered to go outside to deal with his own ghosts.

- - -

"Get the fuck inside!" Rufus forcefully ordered, as he finally got the door open and pushed the redhead to the floor. Then he quickly locked it and grabbed the man by the back of his shirt to forcefully threaten him. "There's only one way you're ever going to be able to leave, Reno…"

"Yer full'a shit!" The redhead spat back, as he spun around to slug Rufus across the face, only to watch the man churn a feral smile and calmly wipe a small stream of blood away before gripping the front of Reno's shirt with enough force to cause the seems to dig into the man's arms. Then his eyes flickered as he sneered at the President and venomously added. "I tried that already… Remember?"

With nothing but a sarcastic snicker as a response, the President merely stared into those challenging eyes for a moment, before he roughly pushed him back and stood while calmly asking. "Is that why you decided to die with him?" Then he tilted his head and watched the redhead push himself to his feet. "So you could get away?" After that, he straightened up the scarf around his neck as he added. "And here everyone thought you were the selfless hero…"

"Yer such a dumb-ass…" Reno rasped, as he adjusted his shirt and wiped at his mouth. "Fer someone who acts so confident and sure of themselves, yer nothin but an insecure, spoiled little brat. Ya can't handle losin… Can ya?" Then he snickered at him and lowered his head. "Guess ya fergot about the facts, eh?"

When Rufus merely straightened up and stared at him coldly and without a word, Reno stuck his tongue between his teeth and stepped back. "Guess ya fergot about the fact that I was sick with no hope fer a fuckin cure… Was practically dead anyway." With another snicker, Reno licked his lips and leaned toward the President in a defensively ready mode. "An I guess ya did'n give a shit that I was USED AGAIN!" He suddenly bellowed, as his eyes flickered again.

Then he chuckled and relaxed his posture as he shook his head and looked up to the ceiling while hopelessly explaining. "Yer so fuckin self-absorbed that I guess ya weren't even aware of the fact that I had no idea where, or even _when_, I was when I called Cloud Aldrich an kissed him… I don't even fuckin remember doin it."

"Really." Rufus coldly asked, as he continued to stare at the redhead with no sign as to what he was thinking. "Then how is it that you recall and are able to explain?"

With narrowing eyes suddenly full of defiance, Reno coldly replied. "Cuz Cloud told me." Then he snickered and wiped at his mouth as he took on a defensive stance again. "Says he likes me…" With another deviant chuckle, Reno took another step back while appearing almost feral. "Course, I think I believe 'im… cuz 'e kissed me after that." Then he practically purred with an unmistakable challenge. "But ya already knew 'bout that, dincha?"

"Aren't you the irresistible one." Rufus coolly commented, as a slight sneer played across his upper lip and he adjusted his sleeve. Then he back-handed Reno hard enough to send him into the wall near the weapon's cabinet that crashed to the floor from the force while the redhead shook his head and chuckled again.

"Can't 'elp but consider the possibility." The redhead rasped, before he adjusted his pants and snorted at the man. "After all, 'e's a lot fuckin nicer ta me."

"Good sense would have let you die back in that reactor."

"Heh… I do believe Aldrich tried ta warn ya…" Then he smashed his fist into the wall and bellowed. "SO, WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME?"

"I was wondering the same thing."

"Yer turning out ta be jus like him." Reno vindictively accused, before Rufus grabbed him by the front of his shirt and held him in place after slamming his back into the wall as a silent threat to shut the hell up. "In fact, yer turnin out ta be _worse_."

"I see" Rufus commented, before he calmly caressed his fingers along the redhead's jaw as if he were mesmerized by something, causing Reno to quickly jerk his head away. "Perhaps I should have let you die with him then… Instead of trying to keep you alive."

After grimacing from Rufus' tightening grip, Reno suddenly shouted "YA STOLE FIVE YEARS'A MY FUCKIN LIFE!" into Rufus' face and successfully kicked him back. Then he reached over and ripped a strip of moulding from the frame of Rufus' bedroom door and whipped him across the back with it while sneering at the President's refusal to cry out before he growled at him. "Ya knew damn-well how I fuckin felt about bein in stasis… Ya made me lose everythin that fuckin mattered ta me, ya piece'a shit!"

Being angered even more by Rufus' snickering as he tried stand, Reno kicked him in the tailbone and whipped him again.

"Yeah… It is fuckin funny. Cuz as if that weren't enough, I had to awaken ta bein more of a fuckin puppet than I was BEFORE! Five years, Rufus…" He hissed, as he leered over the man. "Five years were stolen so I could return to a life that no longer belonged ta me… Five years so I could wake up not knowin who I was or where I belonged cuz some insecure little BRAT could'n let his favourite little toy go even though he did'n wanna play with it no more… Only fer me ta fuckin wind up rememberin everythin I don't wanna remember at the cost'a not knowing WHERE THE FUCK I BELONG OR WHO THE FUCK I'M SUPPOSED TA BE!"

"I agree." Rufus spat back, as he quickly turned and grabbed the thin strip of wood Reno was about to hit him with again. "Keeping you alive _was_ a mistake." Then he quickly grabbed something from the floor and slammed Reno into the wall with a deadly speed, before Reno gasped out and Rufus lifted his bloodied hand to caress the ex-Turk's cheek. "However," The President smoothly added, as he stared at the red streaks that his fingers left on the man's skin. "I'm more than willing to rectify that mistake."

"Ya should'na done that." Reno rasped, before he swallowed and dropped his hand to where the knife was sticking out of his side.

"Why?" With a challenging sneer, Rufus leaned closer and stroked the redhead's hair back as he watched the man's eyes flicker again. Then he leaned even closer and placed a light kiss on his forehead before murmuring with a feigned, compassionate, tone. "Does it remind you too much of past lovers?"

With nothing but a sour taste in Reno's mouth over the goad, he snorted and muttered out "Nah…" while regarding the man with a strange regret. "It's jus that…" He started, before he stopped long enough to take a shaky breath and calmly wrap his hand around the handle. "I ain't really myself these days…"


	28. Parallels

**28 Parallels**

* * *

Rage… 

He'd felt it before; several times, in fact.

But _never_ on someone he cared about. Or at the very least, he'd never acted on it.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that he'd given his full trust to the man, and maybe it had something to do with the fact that he actually_ believed_ the man would never hurt him, despite the temperamental threats they often exchanged.

Or maybe it was a combination of everything, right from the start, and the futile feeling of never coming up for air had finally taken its toll.

He didn't just stab the man, though; he twisted the blade with each puncture as he pushed him, ensuring his fate as the man stumbled backwards, into the bedroom and onto the floor. He didn't even give him a chance to fight back; he moved so fast.

He moved so fast that he didn't even give himself a chance to think about what he was doing when he first pulled the blade out and turned it onto Rufus.

But that wasn't the worst part for Reno.

For Reno, the worst part was the fact that he was never really angry at Rufus.

He was angry at himself for allowing the situation to happen from the start, and he was angry at himself for ever believing it could amount to anything more.

Because it never does…

He should have known better, and he should have never allowed Rufus to get the better of him in the first place. He should have never allowed the man to get under his skin and into the intimate places he thought he had control over.

Worst of all, he should have known better than to ever believe anything that ever left that man's mouth.

Rufus was a liar…

Everyone knew that.

But then again…

So was Reno.

And as the thought suddenly crossed his mind, he suddenly realized that he didn't actually have the right to be casting stones, and he stumbled from his knees and onto his buttocks, with an ill-sounding cry that had been caught in his throat for what felt like an eternity.

_What've I done?_

"Gaia…" He shakily breathed out, before he wiped his sleeve across his upper lip and stumbled forward to crawl over the man. "Rufus…"

_Fuck…_

"Rufus…"

With trembling hands, he reluctantly pressed his fingers against the man's neck to check for a pulse, only to find there was none. For how long did Reno continue to stab the man after he'd died? He had no idea.

"NnnngGaiaaa… Don't be dead…" he whined, as he brushed the man's bangs back and felt sickened by the blood he smeared onto his face and hair from his hands. "Ya can't die… Yer indestructible, Babe"

_AAAGGGHHH…_

With an inner agony brought forth from a silent scream that wouldn't stop torturing him, he suddenly cupped his head with his hands and dug his fingers into his scalp while still relentlessly hanging onto the blade as if he'd forgotten he had it.

"_You're a wild animal, Renault."_

Aldrich was right to call him the names he always called him. Maybe it never was out of vindictiveness. Maybe it was out of a simple purity of truth that Reno never wanted to face.

"_Untamed… Out of control… Dangerous…"_

"NYAAAGGGHHH!"

"_You need discipline."_

"SHUT UP!"

With another ill-sounding cry following his outburst, he suddenly found himself on his feet and crouching over his sin while shaking the blade at him. "Ya deserved it." He hissed, as he nearly danced around tribally to the stand by the man's side. "Ya'll fuckin deserved it."

Then he stopped for a moment and tilted his head as he locked his eyes to the scarf around Rufus' neck and swallowed hard enough to hurt his throat. His hands shook, and he wiped at his upper lip with his sleeve again, before an even more sickening thought entered his mind.

"_I want so desperately to be able to take care of you... to protect you from ever being hurt."_

But he didn't want to believe it.

"LIAR!"

For some strange reason, he didn't even want to entertain the idea that Rufus might have been genuine.

It simply felt better to believe that it was Rufus that had touched and betrayed him, instead of another possibility that he simply didn't want to face.

The thought that he had willingly kissed a man that looked and acted like his lover suddenly made him feel ill, and the thought of that same man being inside of him, despite the fact that he tried to fight it, made him feel sick beyond peril. And instead of even entertaining the thought, he resisted the urge to pull the scarf down to check, and doubled over to vomit near the corner of the room.

Too much stress…

Too much…

Too much that he needed something to take his mind off of it, and he suddenly set his eyes on the small hint of peeling red paint from under the bed.

Then he straightened up and snorted, before he wiped at his mouth and swallowed back on the sour taste. "What the fuck ya got in that box, Rufus?" He shakily asked. After that, he snickered, realising that Rufus was a little unable to answer him at the moment. "Must be important fer ya ta lock it up an hide it like that."

While verbalizing his thoughts, he tilted his head again and stared blankly at it. Then he finally snorted and dropped to his knees, unable to resist the urge while muttering, "It'd better be worth it," as he dug the tip of the bloodied knife into the cheap lock to open it, only to feel even more sickened by what he found.

- - -

"Hello?" Dr. Hakiou greeted, as he answered his phone and spoke into the wrong end. Then he looked around suspiciously and hoped that no one was around to see him do it as he quickly turned it around and said "Hello" again.

"So soon?" He asked, after the person on the other end filled him in on the state an experiment he was conducting. "But he wasn't expected to mature until the end of this week." Then he scratched at his scalp and twitched as he walked toward the corner and lowered his voice. "This could compromise stability… Our employer won't be pleased."

Sighing over the thought, Hakiou reflected on how long his employer had been anticipating success, and how disappointed the man often became when the experiment failed, and reminded the other person he was speaking to about the sensitivity of the matter. "He's going to be so depressed if it doesn't work this time… There was so much promise over the course of this last one."

Then he sighed again and took another look around while scratching at his head. "Well, be prepared to start over if we must… And try to salvage what you can."

After hanging up, he leaned against the wall and looked upward, in the direction that Ten-ji was most-likely at, and snickered. Then he looked down at his phone and went to dial a different number, only to realize his phone didn't have a battery in it, causing him to wonder when he took it out and why. His thoughts were short-lived though, and he started whistling and tidying up before he left the premises to check up on his work.

- - -

The box was full of old photos and scrapbooks; pictures of things that obviously meant something to the man. But what caught Reno's attention the most, at first, were the red roses in the photos of the man's mother. They were always in a crystal vase. Then he turned his attention to the one in Rufus' room, which had been neglected from what was probably months and muttered out in realization.

"Ya never cried." Then he returned his attention back to the photo's and noted the cold and austere air they all had. Even his mother, who had the same golden blonde hair that almost seemed orange under the bright sunlight, and the same icy-blue eyes that seemed to emanate a chilling cold as they peered intensely at the camera, seemed void of any warmth or self-indulgence.

But they didn't say the same things that Rufus' eyes always said. Unlike his cold, hateful, and intolerant bitterness, hers were almost haunting and accusing, as they stared at him as if they knew what he'd just done, and he found himself dropping the pictures as a wave of shame washed over him before he chose to see what other ghosts Rufus hung onto from his childhood.

Some of its contents were a surprise, like the fact that Rufus actually had photos of Hojo, and even kept them in pristine condition. Others weren't so much of a surprise, since Reno always suspected Rufus had a crush on Tseng at one time. He couldn't really recall if he'd actually been told or if he just guessed at it though. But what he found was enough verification to not really care about how he knew.

"Like ya could'a had 'im…" He muttered, as he sarcastically snorted and tossed the photos aside to open up one of the scrapbooks full of an even bigger surprise.

With a slight pause, Reno lifted the book up higher so it was directly in front of him and stared in awe at the artful and life-like drawings the man had done as a child, along with poetic writings in the pages to follow. "What the fuck, Ruf…?" He mumbled, before he snickered nervously and closed the book. "Ya never told me ya were a fuckin artist…"

Then he snorted again, before he violently grabbed the box and threw it against the wall with enough force to cause it to smash as the contents fluttered about the room, before he turned with wild eyes toward the man on the floor and bellowed out. "IF YA THINK THIS IS GONNA MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY, YER FUCKIN WRONG!"

With a swift kick to the body on the floor, he pointed the knife at him and hissed. "I ain't feelin fuckin sorry fer ya anymore ya piece'a shit."

After letting out an insane chuckle at the reminder of everything he'd been put through, he pressed the heels of his hands to his temples and released a sickening scream while shutting his eyes tight and crouching as if he could protect himself from his own demons.

Then he started laughing again and decided he'd best get cleaned up. And with a nod at the assurance that he'd most-likely be in trouble, he opened the door to the bathroom and stepped over the body before flicking the light-switch on and muttering sarcastically at the fact that the bathroom light was still flickering.

"Richest man in the fuckin world an ya can't even get a fuckin light fixed… Stupid piece'a shit…"

- - -

As he waited patiently in the shadows outside, he watched the blonde yawn as if he were bored, several times, while standing behind his boss, and wondered where the other man had gone. He heard Ten-ji order him outside. But it had been well over an hour, maybe even close to two, and he hadn't heard or seen him since.

He could have sworn the man saw him. In fact, he could have sworn the man had been staring at him, dead-on, most of the evening, causing him to wonder exactly what his story was. But even though he was keeping his eyes and ears open for him, he still never heard him when the man finally decided to make his presence known.

It caused him to stiffen as a strange sensation washed over his body, as if through his very nerves themselves, when an unexpected hand gently cupped his jaw from behind and his weakening body was pulled closer to the strength of the man behind him.

"Vincent Valentine." The deep voice started, as he rested his chin on the thinner man's shoulder and the gunman stared straight ahead as if he were paralysed. "What an interesting name." Then he chuckled, deeply, while pulling the limp male closer and wrapping his other arm more securely around his waist to hold him up. "Considering that you practically are one to those that are spoken for."

"Hunter class." The gunman observed, with a deadened tone, as he attempted to try and regain some sort of sensation after realizing he hadn't been hit or injected with anything. "That's how you've managed to keep Marcus and the others under control."

After taking a deep breath as if he were inhaling Vincent's scent, he gently turned the man around and commenced to carefully lay him down on the ground. "Mmm…" He commented, after breathing in again, and reaching into his pockets to pull out a pair of surgical gloves. "You would know." After snapping the rubber of the first glove onto his hand, the man looked down at Vincent and smiled with a mild, reddish glow to his pupils. "You were assigned to watch over that project, weren't you?"

"Yes." Vincent detachedly admitted, as the man snapped on the second glove and reached into his back pocket. "Boris thought it would be wise to have something designed to hunt down and take out renegade Soldiers and stray mutants. Something that could tap into their Mako and disable or control them as needed, along with their Limits."

"He made a mistake though." Darius added, as he pulled the sheath from the scalpel he was carrying and rested a pair of pliers on the man's chest.

"He became paranoid when he saw the results of how successful the project was."

"That was his mistake." The man informed, as he crawled toward Vincent's head and lifted him by the shoulders to turn his body slightly, while he casually explained. "And his termination orders weren't as successful as he thought."

"How did you escape the virus?"

"I didn't." Darius explained, before he tilted Vincent slightly upward and returned to his side to make a tiny cut down the middle of the man's bottom lip. "I was near death when Ten-ji found me." Then he ran the pad of his thumb over the incision before placing it in his own mouth to taste it. "Mm… I could tell by your scent that you had high quality Mako in your system…" He observed, before he returned to explaining what happened.

"Ten-ji recognised me from a few years earlier. A deal turned sour on him, and he was taken to the outskirts of Icicle Inn and left to die. With a broken leg, he was left fairly immobile and as the night came, some of the mutinous carnivores started their hunt." While keeping his attention purely clinical, he started to cut the buckles from the upper part of Vincent's uniform while ensuring him he wouldn't feel a thing, thanks to the chemicals he was designed to excrete from his skin.

"So, you saved his life and he repaid the favour."

"Yes… He has a temper. But he is a man of honour." Darius admitted. Then he exposed Vincent's stomach and proceeded to make an incision where he highly suspected the Materia designed to keep Vincent's Limits under control had been embedded while muttering out "Sometimes," before he found what he was looking for and tossed the Materia aside while commenting on it being a dead cell. "Luckily for me, Dr. Hakiou was already under his employment."

"Hakiou was too crazy, even for Hojo."

With a shrug, Darius picked up his pliers and crouched over the man, before adjusting his head to look upward. "He's different." He agreed. "But he did save my life." Then he opened Vincent's mouth and placed the pliers over one of his teeth before firmly pulling it out without crushing it, and with a mild curiosity, he held it in front of the man's face for him to see, and commented. "I'm surprised you still bleed" even though it wasn't by much.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm paid well." He explained, as he placed the tooth on Vincent's chest. "And I enjoy it," He added, as he was about to pull another one while commenting. "I must say it's rather disappointing to work on someone who looks forward to death, though. It's much more difficult to get under your skin."

Completely void of even caring about the comment, Vincent came to a sudden conclusion and confronted the man on it. "It was you that killed Reno's mother."

"What makes you say that?"

"The scalpel."

With a flash of red in his eyes again, Darius put the pliers down, and rested his gloved hand on Vincent's chest while detachedly stating. "I found those boys. They belonged to me." Then he grabbed a handful of the gunman's hair near the nape of his neck and forced his attention on him. "I promised those boys I'd take care of them… That I'd protect them… I even went so far as to push Renault to stay by Haldric's side to ensure Ten-ji would leave the poor boy alone..."

Then he chuckled and tapped the flat part of the scalpel on Vincent's nose. "I didn't make those promises just so some whore could try to reclaim her son because she thought being sober for a week was a major leap in her life."

"Why did you make him think he was the one who did it?"

"We would have lost his loyalty. He was already starting to become too independent at that point." Darius confided. "We couldn't have him thinking he could take care of himself. So we had to do something desperate… Something to convince him he was too unstable to be on his own." Then he leaned closer and confided. "And we honestly couldn't have him leaving Haldric."

With a sigh, Darius sat back and picked up his pliers again, before readjusting Vincent's head. "If you'd seen the way that boy fretted and worried over Renault in those early days, you would have known how devastating it would have been if they were parted. They developed such a strong co-dependency after what they went through in Nibelheim that it was almost pathetic."

After shaking his head, he muttered. "It makes my heart sink to think about it."

"You're mad."

"We all are, Valentine." Darius admitted. "We're all so tired of being victims that we can't help it."

Then he opened Vincent's mouth again and was about to pull another tooth. But he stopped and turned his head so his right ear was in the direction of Ten-ji's office the moment he heard gunfire. After that, he stood and stared in the building's direction.

"Sounds like you've just lost your job." Vincent commented, as he grimaced from the slight sensation that was returning to him and spit to get the mild taste of blood and Mako out of his mouth.

"Hm." Darius noted, before he calmly wiped the scalpel and pliers off with a cloth from his pocket. Then he placed the sheath back over the scalpel and put both objects away, before looking down at Vincent and stating. "Today's my lucky day."

After that, he bent down and picked the man up with ease and proceeded to take him with him as he slung the gunman over his shoulder and started walking toward the building.

- - -

After ensuring that Ten-ji would never breathe air again, the blonde sat the man neatly in his chair and tidied up his suit, before taking the holster from him and putting it on so he could place the gun in it with a sickening feeling. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head, before walking into the hall leading to his room. But there was something different about the hallway that time. A room that had been locked a few doors down and across from his own was open, causing him to curiously cock his brow.

Then he took a few cautious steps forward and stared at it some more, realizing that it was closed before he went to Ten-ji's meeting. In a manner of anticipation, the man readied the gun and proceeded to give in to the sudden curiosity he couldn't seem to deny and found himself standing in front of the door while lightly pushing it open.

With a few steps forward and a few cautious glances, he came to realize there was no one present, and then he set his attention on a box on the only bed in the room with the name 'Renault' written on it.

After brushing his bang back, he took another cautious look around and placed the gun back in his holster, before giving into the temptation to find out why someone felt the need to put a box full of Reno's belongings on Aldrich's bed.

- - -

After the paramedics removed the body from the President's apartment, Tseng put a choke-hold on the MPs request to find and arrest Reno. His argument was that it was an internal affair, and that the MPs had no jurisdiction in such a matter. "I'm afraid it's a Turk matter." He explained, as the head of the MP department glared at him. Then he bowed his head and insured. "We'll take over from here."

After the man left with an inability to hold back his opinion on how the Turks were always abusing their titles, Tseng let out a subtle sigh and pulled out his PHS to round up the others. Only, he didn't want _all _the Turks involved, he only wanted the original ones that had been with Reno and Rufus from the beginning.

"Yeah… I'll give Tifa a call." Elena told her husband, while making it plainly obvious that she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to bother the poor woman before she outright refused to watch over their child ever again.

And Rude's typical response was a moment of silence, followed by. "I'll be right there." As Tifa sighed in the background and Rude hung up.

- - -

After gently placing Vincent on the floor and against the wall so he could be in a sitting position, Darius lightly placed his finger over the man's mouth and soothed out. "Shhh." Then he looked at the door and explained in a low voice. "We're not entirely alone."

Then with a slight smile at the sound of Vincent lowly grunting, Darius stood and walked over to Ten-ji's desk and paused for a moment to openly observe the state of his boss as he stared at him and openly commented with a slightly intrigued grin. "Those Shinra boys are rather interesting." After that, he snickered and muttered out "Barrier" as Vincent gained enough strength to pull his gun from his holster.

"Why are you keeping me alive?"

"There is no benefit to be gained from your demise at the present moment." He answered, as he opened a drawer to Ten-ji's left and pulled out some legal forms, along with an envelope at the bottom of the drawer, all the while ignoring Vincent's growing strength and the gun pointing at him.

Then he leaned over and pulled the ring from Ten-ji's baby finger and tossed it at the gunman, where it landed near his gut. "And I'm sure you would love to be the one to give that back to Tseng… But that's not the only reason you came here, is it?"

After that, he turned with a cat-like grin and stuffed the papers into the breast of his coat before waving the envelope at Vincent. "What I don't understand, though, Valentine, is how you can be so obsessed with paying a penance for all of your sins, yet at the same time, want to keep something such as this as far away from the one person who deserves to know the truth."

With a tilt to his head, Darius knelt in front of the man and tapped his own nose with it while breathing in its scent. "I thought you would have wanted to come clean on all accounts."

"The photos." Vincent muttered, before he grimaced and locked his eyes to the envelope.

"Mm." After nodding in agreement, Darius smiled again and ran his fingers over the seal. "Tell me, Valentine… How does it feel to lie, sabotage, and betray someone you hold in the highest regards?" The man asked, before he placed his hand on the gunman's face and stroked his cheek with his thumb. "You obviously care a great deal about him to risk your life in order to bring him back his father's ring… A friend as loyal as yourself is rare and hard to come by…"

After a slight pause, Darius subtly nodded and removed his hand before turning his attention back to the envelope. "But friendship isn't really what you're after. Is it, Valentine." Darius observed, as he opened the envelope and pulled the photos out. "Because a friend certainly wouldn't have done something like this." The man stated, as he tossed them at Vincent's chest and stood to stoke the fire in the fireplace.

"However… I can see how it worked to Ten-ji's advantage. Blackmailing you with something you didn't want Tseng knowing to keep your mouth shut about defending him and keeping his name clean, was quite advantageous." Then, with a wry grin, Darius returned to kneeling in front of the gunman and snickered at the shaky gun aiming at him.

"But it worked to your advantage too… Didn't it." He confronted, before he gently placed his hand atop Vincent's and lowered his gun with a shake to his head. "At first, I wondered why you would have chosen the latter, instead of coming clean and saving Tseng his dignity. But then, after listening to Ten-ji, I realised that it worked to your advantage too."

With a flickering red in his eyes again, Darius wryly grinned and confidingly lowered his voice. "You wanted Tseng to leave Wutai, and you wanted him to drop his standards and give up on his honour. Because you wanted him to have no reason not go with you, didn't you."

Then he picked up one of the photos and stared at it with a keen study. "I'll give you credit where credit is due, Valentine…" He started, as he turned the picture around for the man to see. "For someone who acts like they'd be willing to bend over for the man… You definitely like to keep your real intentions hidden." Then he tilted his head and asked. "But at least you're consistent… Wasn't she his fiancé?"

- - -

Both Elena and Rude were confused about why they were the only ones present in the conference room, and Tseng's explanation didn't make a whole lot of sense to them either, particularly when they considered how professional the man always was. But when he shook his head at Rude when the man asked if they should find and arrest Reno, he left them both with nothing but confusion and speculation.

To make things even more confusing, he ordered Erryn to make no attempt to revive the President and to run a thorough autopsy on the man. The whole ordeal caused Elena to wait until it was just her, Rude, and Tseng present again before she lowered her voice and pointed an accusing finger at Tseng. "You think it might be Marcus. Don't you."

"Please, Elena." Tseng started, as he stood in a stoic mannerism and pulled out his PHS to dial Vincent's number again. "I'm simply not willing to rule anything out." Then he frowned after receiving no answer and put the phone back.

"Well if that's the case, then why aren't we going after Reno?"

With a stressful sigh, Tseng glanced over at Rude, who remained silent and at ease, and then turned his attention back over to his wife. "I was under the impression you were paying attention when we watched Rufus drag Reno back to the apartment on the hallway surveillance."

"I was."

"Good." Tseng commented as he professionally adjusted his suit. "Then I don't need to remind you to keep your mind away from personal attachments and to focus on the job at hand."

After seeing the fire flash through Elena's eyes, Rude cleared his throat and stepped forward in an attempt to break the possibility of outright war starting between the two of them and explained. "Reno was being dragged back to the apartment against his will."

Then he adjusted his tie and uncomfortably looked away for a moment as Tseng clinically added. "And I'm sure you took note of the marks on Reno's body and the fact that his clothes were torn, not to mention the look of shame and humiliation on his face when he first tried to leave the apartment."

"Dear Gaia…" She muttered, as she suddenly forgot about how much of a prick Tseng could be when they were working and shook her head. "But, Rufus would never… He adores Reno… Why would he…?"

With a quirked brow, Tseng casually reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small disk. Then he placed it on the table and pushed it toward her while commenting. "I believe this will shed some light on the matter." After that, he took a moment to watch Rude step curiously forward and explained. "Reno was with Cloud this evening."

- - -

"We'd best leave." Darius commented, before he grabbed Vincent's phone and tossed it into the fire while asking. "How many times does he call you when you disappear on him?"

"Enough times to ensure I'm all right." Vincent detachedly answered, as he grimaced when Darius lifted him from the floor.

"So, why don't you ever answer?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"Not interested in telling me?" Darius observed, as he wryly grinned at Vincent and nudged his cheek with his nose as if he didn't really need to be told. Then he answered the man before teleporting them both to a wooded and unpopulated area between Midgar and Kalm. "Somewhere private."

- - -

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to order you both to be prepared to terminate Reno if he returns…"

He couldn't stop playing the last thing he said, over and over, in his head. There wasn't a single doubt in the man's mind that Reno acted in self-defence. But at the same time, the murder of the President couldn't go unpunished, regardless of whether it was justified or not, and the fact that Reno made it publicly known and blatantly obvious that it was him, made it even more difficult for Tseng to cover it up in order to protect him.

He couldn't help but wonder if it was Reno's way asking them to finish him off. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now." Tseng commented, as he picked up a framed picture on his desk of what was left of the Turks after Meteor and noted the shy grin on the, seemingly, care-free redhead.

"After everything you've been through…" He muttered. Then he let out a sigh and put the picture down, before turning to the window and muttering as he pulled his PHS out to dial Vincent's number again. "In many ways, you remind me of someone else."

- - -

Once they arrived at Darius' intended destination, he placed the ex-Turk carefully on the ground and grabbed the gun from him when he gained enough energy to attempt to defend himself. "Things are already going to get very unpleasant for you." He warned the gunman, in a tone that carried no emotion to it as he turned him around and laid him on his back as if he were nothing but a doll.

Then he smiled at the man and reached down toward his boot. "So, let's not turn this into something any more unpleasant than it already has to be."

"Leviathan…"

"Think of this as payback, Valentine. You and your people humiliated me by turning me into something indestructible, and when your people succeeded, they tried to destroy me." Darius informed, before he activated one of Vincent's homing devices, located on the interior of the man's armoured footwear, and removed it to place it away from the gunman's reach. "And think of it as something you deserve for sleeping with your friend's girlfriends just to spite him for constantly nagging at you to get one of your own."

"Tseng…"

"I suppose Hojo did the world a favour by castrating you for sleeping with his wife… It's only a shame he didn't know the real reason you did it." With a slight nod, Darius placed his hand on the man's cheek and watched him go limp again. "Soon, you'll be greatly tempted to stop that signal, Valentine. But I'm afraid you're not going to have the strength to do it."

"Leviathan… Don't do this…"

After shaking his head at the man, Darius let out a deep breath and stood to take a good look around. "I believe he should waste no time once he's picked that signal up." Then he grabbed Vincent's hand and placed the ring in it, before he held up the photos for Vincent to get one last good look them, and then he placed them on the ground.

"What do you think his reaction will be?" He asked, as he looked down at the man with a lack of expression. "Do you think the ring will cancel any animosity that might arise from those photos…? After all, he might feel a little more than betrayed once he realises the reason you allowed him to be dishonoured by his own people was simply because you couldn't keep your hands off of his wife-to-be… Or do you think he will simply forgive you, regardless…? This is definitely your chance to see just how much the man really cares about you…"

When Vincent refused to answer and only stared at the sky, Darius sighed and knelt back down beside him while commenting. "I'm assuming you really want to know." Then he looked down at the ring in Vincent's hand and closed his fist more firmly around it. "Especially if he means as much to you as I've been lead to believe."

With another grin, Darius pulled the shirt of Vincent's uniform further open to reveal the wound he made earlier and then opened a small vial he kept on a chain around his neck. "This may sting a little… at first." He warned, as he poured the iridescent fluid into the man's wound and smirked when he grunted. "I've hung onto it for years… Just for you… It's designed to mutate the Mako in your system."

"Please… Leave Tseng out of this." Vincent groaned, before he let out a more pained grunt, louder than the previous one.

"Why?" Darius asked. "I thought you wanted to come clean." Then he stood and started to walk away while assuring the man. "I'm doing you a favour by letting him decide your fate… Valentine…"

"Think of it as the greatest penance you could ever pay for your sins…"

- - -

He had no idea where he got the bike from. It had the Shinra name on it. But he couldn't recall where he got it from, who it belonged to, or even if it belonged to anyone. He didn't even remember taking it.

After he parked it outside the Kalm-located office, he jumped off and stared at it for a moment, suddenly recognising it belonged to him all along.

"_Surely you could have spent your money on something more practical."_

With a snicker at the memory of Tseng chastising him, he took a look around and cocked his gun while listening for any sign of life that would require him to exercise stealth, and when there was nothing, he muttered under his breath

"Can't think of anythin more practical'n this, Tseng."

Then he snickered again and took a couple of steps toward the building, wondering why it was so quiet. He knew Ten-ji had returned to conduct business. He had no idea how or why he knew. But the vehicles outside were verification enough for him to continue to proceed with caution.

Only, the silence seemed to be making him more wary than the proof of the man and his men being there.

_Where the fuck is everyone?_ He thought to himself, as he cautiously crept around to the back and onto the terrace. All the while he remained in the shadows and peered through the windows that weren't covered by curtains to find no trace of anyone.

He kept in mind, though, that the curtains around Ten-ji's office and the private quarters were heavily covered, making it difficult for him to see what was going on. It also set his nerves on edge as he scratched at the back of his neck and recalled that the man never had the curtains drawn in his office.

-

"_No one ever suspects you're doing something wrong when you keep your dealings public and open, Boys… Don't act suspicious, don't look suspicious, and no one will ever suspect that you're doing anything wrong."_

"_Even when you're dealing with drugs and weapons? Are you saying we should just pick a spot in the middle of town and advertise?"_

"_Don't be a smart-ass, Haldric… You know what the hell I'm talking about." Ten-ji responded, as Renault stood by his friend's side and snickered. "Now, get the hell out of my office and make this deal happen."_

-

But there was no hint of sound or conversation either. It set his nerves even more on edge as he tested the back door and it easily opened.

It didn't strike him as a trap, though. Normally, he could detect the subtlest of movements and sound when he set his mind to it. Yet, he could only make out a subtle shuffling from one of the rooms in the private quarters.

But that wasn't his destination, nor was it a concern, as he quietly stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a toothpick to curb his cravings.

After that, he continued through and found himself at Ten-ji's office door and swallowing nervously as he paused to see if he could overhear what he might have to deal with.

Something wasn't right…

Still, it was too silent…

_Fuck it…_

With a reminder to himself to just 'suck it up and deal with it', he pushed the door open to find himself standing there with his brow raised and his gun suddenly hanging by his listless hand at his side, while he took a dumbfounded look around at something he obviously didn't arrive on time for.

_What the fuck…?_ He thought to himself as he noted the lifeless bodies circling Ten-ji's desk, and Ten-ji, himself, sitting neatly in his chair as if he were simply having a nap or resting his eyes.

Then he looked over to the left and noted the strange, almost pinkish-clear, stain on the carpet and knelt down to discover it carried an almost Mako-like, greenish, iridescence to it and wondered what role it had to play as he picked up a leather buckle laying nearby.

After turning it over in his hand a couple of times, he raised his brow and shook his bang out of his eye, before he stood and took note of the fact that, neither Marcus nor Darius appeared to be victims of whatever happened.

"Three possibilities…" He muttered to himself, as he stood and turned the buckle over again. "Darius…"

While he hung onto his thought, he quietly limped over to the desk and opened the top left drawer, where Ten-ji always kept his legal papers. "Wanted yer assets'n yer empire…" Then he sighed when he noted the drawer was empty. "Either he finally gotcha ta sign 'im inta yer will…"

"Or he decided he'd jus take 'em…" He trailed off, as he studied the surface of the desk, before he leaned over to study the bullet wound and the friction marks around Ten-ji's neck. "'E was a good shot…" He observed. Then he sighed and ran his eyes over the man's face. "But then again… So was Marcus…"

"An he jus wanted ya dead fer the sake of havin ya dead… 'Course, 'e wanted everyone dead…"

With a shake to his head, he trailed his eyes down and studied the rest of the man, only to settle on his right hand where there used to be a ring on the baby finger. "Then there's mystery-man, number three…" He rasped, as he looked at the buckle again and tried to piece together why it seemed familiar.

"Well…"

With a sigh, he leaned closer and brushed the man's hair from his face, before he brushed his fingers across his lips and rested his mouth upon the man's forehead before quietly confiding. "Whoever it was… Ya had it comin."

-

"_You're one to fucking talk, Haldric! You think I never noticed the marks on your Gaiadamned 'body'?" Renault confronted, while he was trying to crawl away. "You're just as fucking faithful as I am!"_

"_You 'miserable' little 'shit'." Haldric responded, before he kicked his lover onto his back and grabbed onto his own collar to pull it up while glaring furiously at the other boy. "I have 'never' willingly been with anyone but you!"_

-

"Sick bastard."

After paying a small moment of tribute to the things he never wanted to admit to, Reno let out a heavy sigh and stood himself up, before taking another deep breath and entering the private quarters to find the only sign of life he'd been hearing the whole time.

- - -

"_What's this?"_

"_A precaution." Tseng answered, after handing the other male a handful of locators while smirking at him and leaning back to rest against the wall._

"_Are you that worried about me?" Vincent playfully asked. Then he rested his hand on the wall while facing the other man as if he was cornering him. "Or do you just want to know where I am all the time?"_

_Suddenly snickering at the other male, Tseng pressed the palm of his hand against his chest to push him back and ducked down to escape through the path under his arm while calmly stating. "You know… it's not funny when my father's in the next room."_

"_Hm…" Vincent mumbled, while he turned and scanned his eyes over the back of his friend as Tseng fiddled with a globe on his father's desk. Then he pushed himself from the wall and placed his hands near the front of Tseng's hips while pressing against him from behind. "Who says I'm trying to be funny?"_

"_Leviathan… I'm serious, Vince…" Tseng muttered, before he brushed the man's hands away from him. Then he muttered. "I think you need a girlfriend." Before he fumbled with the globe and nearly knocked it over, while Vincent quickly stepped away, when a tall and elegant-looking male entered the room and set his gravely disapproving eyes on Vincent._

"_Did I interrupt something?" The male asked, as he walked over to his desk and opened one of the drawers._

"_No, Father." Tseng replied, with a respectfully bowed head, as he fixed the position of the globe. "We were just goofing around."_

"_Do it outside, Please." His father replied, without turning his attention from the contents he was rifling through. Then he asked before the boys had a chance to leave. "Tseng… Have you seen my speech?"_

"_Yes." He eagerly replied, as he stepped back up to his father's desk and pushed some papers that were sitting on the surface. "I… was reading it… I hope you don't mind."_

"_Really?" His father asked, with a sudden look of adoration, as a softened smile took away the edge he was carrying a moment ago. "What did you think of it?"_

"_I liked it." Tseng answered, before he confessed, as Vincent sat down and rolled his eyes. "But I made some changes…"_

"_Oh?"_

_After a few moments wasted on explanations while Vincent remained seated and picked at his shoe as if he was frustrated about something, or simply eager to leave and get away from a conversation that interested him nowhere near the least, Tseng's father finally pulled his son closer and place a loving kiss on the boy's forehead._

"_You'll make a great diplomat one day…" He assured his son, while Vincent rudely yawned and stood. Then his father glanced over at the thief and frowned while lowering his voice. "And Liu will make a most wonderful 'wife'."_

"_I have your blessing?" Tseng asked, with a strong hint of excitement as he grabbed his father's hands to express his appreciation. Then, without even saying goodbye, Vincent sneered and left, figuring they wouldn't notice him leaving anyway._

-

When Tseng picked up the signal on one of Vincent's emitters, he nearly choked on his own saliva. He wasted no time, as he rushed to the tarmac and inquired to the engineers about which helicopter was ready.

"It's an emergency." He explained, as hurriedly ran up the engines and failed to notice his concerned wife at the last moment. He couldn't really say, for sure, that he _knew_ Vincent was in trouble. But he wasn't willing to brush off his concerns like he did the day Hojo ruined the man's life for the rest of his eternity.

In a strange sort of way, he didn't think he could live with himself if he allowed the man to fall victim like that again.

But it looked to him like he was too late.

After he landed the helicopter and rushed through the woods with a loaded gun and a flashlight, he came upon the horrific image of the man writhing in agony and trying to tear at his own skin.

He swallowed hard, not knowing what to do at first, as a guttural growling filled the air. It almost looked like Chaos was trying to manifest. But something was holding it back.

"Vince!" Tseng exclaimed, as he dropped both the flashlight and the gun and automatically started to run to the man's side, only to stop dead when Vincent grimaced and forcefully commanded. "Don't touch me!"

He didn't know why at first.

But then he noted the acrid scent of burning Mako and realized the ground which Vincent writhed upon was smoking and dead as an iridescent and gel-like fluid excreted from his skin.

"Leviathan…" He muttered, with the sudden feeling that his own blood was draining and running cold. Then he nervously went to grab his PHS while feeling guilty as he falsely explained. "I'll get help."

Amidst the greeting on the other line…

"Biohazard Containment Unit…"

And Tseng muttering "Mako Contamination Department…" and "Cleanup…" as if he'd suddenly lost his voice and was unable to manage anything above a choking whisper, he looked down and noted a pile of photos his flashlight had fallen near.

"I'll need to ask for identification, Sir…"

"Tseng…" He muttered, as he slowly knelt down to shakily pick them up and look through them with a deadening sensation. "Kiukan… Head of the Turk division… ID number… IK3671-N42."

"Verified… Level of severity, Sir?"

"I'm so sorry… so sorry…" Vincent panted, as his fingers dug into the dirt and his hair began to stick to the ground where the Mako was starting to fuse him to it. "I never wanted to hurt you… You were the only one I ever –"

"Stop."

"Sir?"

With a slow shake to his head as he stood in horror, and stepped back as the Mako started to run down the slight slope toward him, he nervously wiped at the bead of sweat above his upper lip and choked out. "Level One."

"Number of pro-life forms present?"

After unsuccessfully trying to clear the lump out of his throat, Tseng continued to walk backwards and muttered out. "None…" Before he turned and winced at the sound of Vincent's painful wails as he started heading toward the chopper, never knowing what Vincent held in his hand. "Eradicate the area."

- - -

While listening to someone shuffling through something… papers, maybe… Maybe boxes, Reno paused outside the door in the private quarters that was slightly left ajar and silently fumed over the possibility of who the hell was in Aldrich's room and going through his stuff.

But he brushed it off and pushed it quietly open, only to stand there and stare at a man kneeling in an ocean of photos, and going through stuff that belonged to Reno as a child as if he was in a trance.

Despite the fact that he knew Marcus was more than untrustworthy and unpredictable, he approached anyway. He could have shot the man from the door, the moment he saw him. But he began to shake as he played over the incident between him and Rufus, which seemed like only a moment ago and wound up standing behind the man and feeling sickened by the fact that he was holding a picture of him and not Aldrich.

"You were a beautiful child." The blonde factually stated, before he picked up a different photo, that had Aldrich leaning on Reno and staring up at him like he adored him, and scratched at his chest. "You both were." All the while, the blonde never moved from the spot he knelt in, and ignored the growing pressure of the barrel against the back of his head as if he didn't really care whether he lived or died. Then he regretfully sighed and added. "I thought I was going to lose."

"No more games…"


	29. The Final Chapter

**Chapter 29: The Final Chapter**

* * *

"I felt like I was losing my mind." The blonde calmly explained, as the redhead slowly stepped around him, never taking his aim away. "The things he was saying… The lack of control I had…" With a slight snort, he continued to ignore the gun and studied another photo where Reno was sitting on an old mattress with a stuffed mog in his arms and muttered. "Aldrich must have taken this one…" 

Then he turned it for the redhead to see and nodded when the man reached over to take it from his hand. "I don't know why… But I never imagined you to be the type of child that would play with stuffed animals…" With a slight pause, the blonde faintly smiled and sadly admitted. "For some reason, I always assumed you were born reckless…"

After that, he finally made eye contact with the redhead and stared at him with an unexplained regret. "But you weren't… Were you?" He asked. Then he scratched at his chest again and, almost embarrassingly, admitted. "The man doesn't own one comfortable shirt."

With another nod at the redhead's continued silence, he let out another deep breath and absent-mindedly brushed his bang back while averting his eyes to the floor. "I could hear you screaming…" He admitted, and while still nodding he reached his hand up to pull away the binding from around his neck and was stopped by a sharp stab to his forehead from the barrel of the gun.

"I deserve no less…" Nodding again, the blonde looked back over to the silent redhead and set his regretful attention on the blossoming bruises around the man's neck and lightly tapped his fingers on his knee. "He was more immune to the serum than I was…" With a hard swallow the blonde's fingers gripped into the jeans over his knee and sneered as his eyes took on a glossy and mirrored effect.

"I didn't know what else to do… You were –"

With his words cut off by the sudden switchblade under the binding around his neck, the blonde simply lifted his chin and continued to stare regretfully at the man, as if he was inviting him to go ahead and do what he must. "I was so afraid of losing you again." He choked out, barely above a whisper as a furious green glared back at him while pressing his thumb against the material where the sharp edge was directed.

Then, with a quick snap, the material fell loose and the redhead slowly lowered his arm, before he reminded himself to breathe and trailed his eyes, reluctantly, down to the scars on the man's neck. After that, he swallowed hard as his appearance turned disturbingly dark, and he bolted to his feet while unpredictably backhanding the other man, hard enough to send him flying to the floor.

He remained discouragingly silent as he did it, and after he hit him, he whipped the switchblade at the man before angrily firing a shot at his head and running to the adjoined bathroom to ram his fingers down his throat.

- - -

_Eradicate the area…_

"Location, Sir?"

"Um…" Amidst Vincent's agonizing screams, Tseng closed his eyes, tight, and rubbed at them with his forefinger and thumb, as if he was attempting to erase what was happening in his mind. It was a chance for him to come clean. It was his chance to tell them a Class C victim was involved, and it was his chance to order them to do everything that could possibly be done to save the man's life.

"Sir?" The woman's voice on the other end asked. "Are you still there, Sir?"

"Yes." He choked out, as he opened the back door to the chopper and mindlessly looked about at the medical supplies and radiation suits in the back. Then he shook his head and apologised. "Sorry… I thought I heard something… Could you repeat the question?"

He could always grab one of the guns, he thought to himself, as his eyes locked onto the small and portable cabinet on the floor. He could make it quick; he could end the man's suffering the merciful way.

But he couldn't seem to make up his mind, as he replayed the reasons for his indecision.

Vincent was his friend. He was his only friend. They practically grew up together and always watched each other's back…

He considered the man family for Leviathan's sake.

"Coordinates of the contamination, Sir." The woman repeated, as the man shook his head and wondered where he was for a moment.

His mind must have wandered…

"Apologies… Could you repeat that?"

With a dizzying sense, he could have sworn he asked that question already and made an attempt to save face by explaining. "My connection appears to be breaking up."

Then he gripped onto the frame and winced at a blood-curdling scream in the distance. "Sir… Are you sure there are no life forms above Class E?"

_Class E_… He thought; the class of irrepairable mutations, not worthy of attempting salvage…

"Yes." He confirmed, as he guiltily felt disgusted by his own lie and grabbed the GPS to send the woman the coordinates.

With a silent turmoil, he hung up the PHS when the connection was completed and rubbed at his temples. Then he took another look around the chopper at all of the possibilities available to try and save the man, and not once, was he willing to turn around and face that which he was leaving behind while his throat tightened relentlessly.

Then he closed himself off and jumped into the chopper to start the engines.

He couldn't forgive him…

The man ruined his life over the silence of another betrayal, and to Tseng, it was far worse than if Vincent had just come clean about the woman.

- - -

"Fuck..." the blonde muttered, as he pushed himself up and looked at the bullet hole in the floor, a hair's distance from where his head was. Then he pushed himself up and rubbed at his cheek as he stared at the closed door and listened to the man retching on the other side.

"Reno..." He started, in an attempt to make amends, as he tried to turn the knob and discovered it was locked. "Reno... Please... Open the door..."

_Gaia..._

"Let me explain."

When there was nothing but the sound of gagging and spitting on the other side, the blonde ran his hand through his bang and decided he'd have to get in there one way or another. And with a nod, he stood back and kicked the door hard enough to bust the frame before it swung violently open.

Then he simply stood there and stared compassionately at the redhead, as the man supported himself with his right hand, against the wall, and supported his gut with the other as he spit small amounts of blood into the toilet.

"Stay the fuck away from me." He muttered, before he tried to cough something up and grimaced from the sour taste.

"I can't." The blonde explained. Then he tested the waters by taking a small step closer. "I never intended for any of this to happen."

"Nah…" Reno disagreed, as he shook his head and spat again. "Ya jus thought ya'd use me as a fuckin pawn ta satisfy the sick little game ya'n yer brother wanted ta play."

"That's not what happened."

"I said some things…" The redhead admitted, in a sick-sounding rasp. "I said things I meant."

"You never were one to hold back." The blonde agreed, as he felt slightly bolder and attempted to come near the man to try and console him. Only, he was roughly pushed back and yelled at as the redhead literally acted as though being anywhere near the man was a violation beyond contempt.

"DON'T FUCKIN TOUCH ME!" He bellowed. Then he lowered his voice to a threatening hiss and glared at the man as if he detested him. "I don't wancha EVER fuckin TOUCHIN me _AGAIN_!"

"Gaia…" The blonde muttered, before he wiped at his mouth and stepped away with a sinking feeling as he watched the redhead pull up his collar in shame and return to the position he was previously in to expel more contents of a nearly empty stomach.

Then the redhead appeared to waver, even though he resisted his feelings of weakness and stubbornly held himself up while rasping out in disgust. "I fuckin thought 'e was you…" After that, he spun around and roughly pushed the blonde further back, against the wall. "I FUCKIN LET HIM TOUCH ME!" Then, with a flicker in his eyes, he almost danced as he took a small step forward and chuckled while frighteningly admitting in a twisted-sounding voice. "I thought I killed ya, Ruf…"

"I don't know how to apologise." The man admitted, as he stood, facing the man, and tried to swallow back on his growing regrets.

With a snort, the redhead stared the man up and down as if he was staring at something that disgusted him and spat out. "'Course not… Everyone knows Rufus _fucking_ Shinra don't apologise fer _nuthin!_"

- - -

"Hm." Erryn muttered, after she removed the President's scarf when his body was brought down for her to approve and schedule an autopsy. "Well, I'll approve it… But I can guarantee you right now that it's not him."

"…"

"What?" Elena asked, as she pushed passed Rude after giving up on trying to find out what the hell was going on with Tseng and stared at the woman with an eager anticipation in her eyes. "What do you mean? How can you tell?"

"Well, for one… Rufus was repetitively choked by a thin wire quite a few years back… It left a roadmap of tiny scars around his neck…" Erryn pointed out, as she rubbed the palms of her hands on her lab coat. "Normally, something like that wouldn't have scarred as badly as it did with him. But because his system was failing at the time, it wound up scarring worse than it should have."

Then she pointed at the man's neck and commented. "This man has a single, straight, mark across his neck, as if it was cut by something sharp." Then she motioned for both Rude and Elena to take a look for themselves. "There's no way someone's physical structure can change on that level… But…" She sighed, as she placed her hands in her pocket. "If you'll allow it, I'd still like to study him."

"Why?" Rude asked, before he replaced his shades after taking a good look.

"Because I'd like to know why the supposed Mako in his system suddenly decided to stop the repairing process when it did." She commented, before she pointed at one of the more shallow stab wounds that she felt should have healed, almost immediately.

"…"

"What do you mean by _supposed_?" Elena asked.

"Well…" She added, before she sighed and leaned, curiously, over the man. "Normally, Mako will continue to repair the body a little, even after its deceased… If I didn't know any better, I'd say that his actually turned on him."

- - -

"Gaia… Reno…" He started, almost feeling frustrated by not being allowed to justify himself, and he grabbed the redhead by the shoulders, before quickly letting go when he saw the faint flash of terror that turned into an outright detest wash through his lover's green eyes. Then he stepped back again and lowered his voice. "That's not what I meant…"

"I meant…" While shaking his head, he wanted nothing more than to grab the man and simply hold him to comfort him. But he knew it would have simply elevated the situation back in the direction he didn't want it going to and simply stood there with a futile feeling as he put his hand on the counter to support a sudden weak feeling he couldn't seem to overcome.

"I meant…" He repeated, as if searching for the right words. Then he faintly snickered in bad taste and looked up, while trying to blink back on an overflow of emotion and muttered to himself with a futile choke to his words. "You're the only person that can do this to me…" Before he looked back at the man and took a deep breath to try and regain some sort of control over his emotions.

"There is no possible way for me to apologise for something that never should have happened in the first place." Then he fluttered his hand up to rest a curled finger against his mouth and dropped it to scratch at a more annoying itch on his chest. "Please… Just let me explain…"

- - -

"Dr. Hakiou…" Darius greeted, when the other man answered his PHS. "You left me an intriguing message in regards to our little project."

"I did?" The man asked, as he looked at his phone and wondered when he called the man.

"Yes." With a slight grin at the knowledge that the man was probably doing and wondering exactly what he was doing, Darius rested his hand against his briefcase, and took one last good look at Ten-ji's office in the distance as he was driven passed it. "You mentioned something about a possible complication."

"Ah…! Yes…! I did…" the man exclaimed, as he suddenly remembered. Then he snickered nervously and looked around in embarrassment. "Not to worry… It was a false alarm…"

"Good to hear."

"I thought you might feel that way…" The doctor commented, as he stuffed his hand in his pocket and was disgusted at the fact that he found a used tissue in it. "Am I to assume everything went as planned on your end?"

"Things couldn't have gone better." Darius commented, as he looked up at the Meteor-armed jets flying overhead, toward the site where he left Vincent, and smiled as he mindlessly toyed with the chain he removed from his neck. "Many things were achieved this evening."

"Excellent…" Dr. Hakiou mused, before he stepped forward and crouched while scratching at his head. "And what about Ten-ji… How are we going to keep everything…?"

"Already taken care of." Darius assured, as he patted his hand on his briefcase. "Rufus turned out to be more of a gem than we expected, and Ten-ji managed to keep his promise by leaving everything to yours truly." With a satisfying smile, Darius sat back and commented. "It appears I'll be able to give you that raise I promised you."

"That was quick…" With a unmistakeable surprise to his tone, the doctor dragged a steel chair across the floor and cringed at the sound as it sent chills down his spine. "I'm afraid I'm going to miss having Rufus around… He was such a pleasant boy… Very tidy… Very polite…"

"Yes. He was… Very agreeable and very willing to play along… He would have been a most welcome addition to our family." Darius agreed, as he continued to toy with the chain and empty vial. "But you know, as well as I do, that keeping him wouldn't have fit in with our plans. And remember, we want Shinra to continue to exist… There's much more profit to be gained when there is a resisting factor involved…"

"We could have left Marcus in his position… A little conditioning could have helped Rufus forget…"

"Goodness… No…" Darius answered, before a deep chuckle escaped the man. "Marcus would have just let everything fall apart… Besides, he's dead now."

"Disappointing…" The doctor muttered, while scratching at his scalp again. "I take it you had something to do with that…?"

"Perhaps." Darius toyed. Then he placed the cool vial against his lips and leaned toward the window to watch the Meteor shells fall from the sky with a widening grin and muttered "Three down…" while he slowly closed the phone on the other man and watched the sky light up.

- - -

With a subtle nod, the redhead licked his lips and flushed the toilet while staring at the dizzying swirl and rasped. "Explain then."

As he nodded from the permission, Rufus tapped his fingers on the neglected counter and turned his eyes to the floor while taking on a distant tone. "When I heard you screaming, I became desperate… I realised I was no match for Marcus… It was like trying to fight madness, and nothing more…"

"All I could think about was getting you to safety…" He sighed, before he looked back over to the redhead who'd found his way to his knees. "I didn't know what else to do… Each second I wasted, was a second closer to something more horrible than my imagination would allow me to…"

With a shake to his head, he cut himself off from his own disturbing thoughts and knelt down to carefully move closer, but not enough to impede upon Reno's needed space. "I wound up making a deal with him…"

"A deal?" The redhead asked, before he snorted while keeping his attention on the toilet. "Nice'a ya ta fuckin let everyone know…" Then he shook his head and muttered. "Ya could'a gotten yerself killed."

"I realise that." Rufus admitted, before he added. "But considering the situation, the risk seemed worth it."

"So, what was yer _deal?"_ Reno asked sarcastically, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

"I told him he could have Shinra…" Rufus confessed, as he continued to study the redhead as the man pulled out his lighter and lit his cigarette. "I told him he could take my place if he took you with him."

"Fuck…" The redhead muttered, as he snickered and shook his head again. "Ya've had better plans."

Nodding again, Rufus attempted to shuffle closer, but again, he still minded the redhead's space and admitted. "I'm aware of that."

"There's gotta be more." Reno confronted, as he took a heavy drag from his cigarette. "I ain't dumb enough ta believe that that was all it took ta get him ta go along."

"You're right." With a sigh, and a bit of a shameful look in his eyes, he continued to study the redhead and contemplated moving closer, but thought better of it. "I had to convince him that I'd take his place and never say a word… But the deal was that it would only last as long as he never harmed you."

Then he leaned against the sink's cupboard, and ran his eyes understandably over Reno again. "But apparently, something went wrong."

"I came onta him." Reno muttered, in answer to the silent question, as he picked at his knee and blew a fair amount of smoke from his lungs. "Thought 'e was you."

"I see…"

"No… Ya don't…" Reno informed, as he continued to look away from the man and snorted before taking another drag from his cigarette. "I was gettin tired'a bein ignored… An I wound up talkin ta Cloud…"

Then he looked over at the blonde and noted the slight change in his mannerism. But he didn't care, and decided he'd continue. "I told him I wanted him outta my life… Gone…"

"And?"

"An he kissed me."

"I see."

"I kissed him back." After he confessed, he sneered slightly at Rufus, and couldn't help but feel slightly vindictive. "I liked it, Ruf…" Then he snorted again and took another drag, while Rufus sat there and took on a look of being helplessly hurt. "But I wanted ta try an mend things with ya… or who I fuckin thought was ya… So… I gave him the kiss-off'n went home… Ya wanna know the rest?"

"No."

"Well… I feel like talkin… It's what ya wanted, ain't it?" Reno bitterly confided, before he took another drag. "If I recall correctly, ya were always wantin ta know things…"

"How much do you recall?" Rufus suddenly asked, realising he wasn't dealing with the innocent side of Reno that he'd been dealing with for almost a year.

"Enough ta know that I'm seriously pissed about whatcha did ta me… An whatcha allowed ta happen ta me…" Then he shook his head and muttered. "Fuck it… Ya knew how I felt about bein in stasis… An ya knew how I would have felt about losin everythin… But ya did it anyway…"

"An thanks ta that, I rammed my tongue down yer brother's throat'n shoved my hand down his pants, thinkin it was you, encouragin the sick bastard ta… Fuck it… Ya can figure out the rest…"

Then he stood and flicked his cigarette at the man and pulled his collar up again. "Yer selfish, Rufus… Selfish ta a point ta where ya don't consider how it affects others." After that, he roughly nudged the man's leg with his foot and ignored the reddening eyes on the man. "Go home." Reno coldly commanded, and scoffed at the liquid that ran out of the man's left eye as if he was accusing him of it being nothing more than an act. "An leave me the fuck alone."

Once he limped out of the bathroom and left the man to sob silently on the floor, he grabbed the mog from the box, that he was holding in the photo Rufus showed to him earlier, and bitingly called back. "An don't worry yer pretty little head 'bout me runnin off with Cloud… It'll never happen..."

"He ain't my type."

Then he grumbled as he hatefully kicked the box over. "Tired'a bein everyone's fuckin plaything."

- - -

A month had passed, and although it rarely snowed in Midgar, every four years, the area would be covered in a blanket of white. During that month, Reno only entered the Shinra building to tend to his treatments, and Rufus stayed out of sight during those times.

Whether it was respect or humiliation that kept him away, it was hard to say, particularly to those that were around him. As usual, he maintained his austere profile. He even managed to act as though nothing ever happened, even though nothing really was the same. But the tell-tale sign that he wasn't exactly over the situation was the fact that he found himself listening in whenever he heard the redhead's name being mentioned.

He even went so far as to watch him from a distance, much like he did in his youth. However, unlike the daydreams of his childhood, he couldn't help but feel the distance between them was final and not worth contemplating. As a result, he told himself that he only cared for professional reasons.

He only cared about the progress of Reno's treatments simply because he didn't want an uncontrolled menace running lose, and he only cared about Reno's memories because the man used to be a Turk and could easily leak valuable information.

He couldn't allow himself to be convinced of anything else. He felt that after everything that happened, Reno had every right to walk away, even though a part of Rufus hoped he never really meant it.

On the day that he returned from Kalm, he was held up by the MPs as an intruder, only to simply let them proceed to take him to the infirmary without saying a word. Surprisingly, he didn't protest to the action and willingly let them put their handcuffs on him, right before Elena came running down the hall while ordering them to let him go and informing them that they were arresting the wrong man.

Of course, the first thing to leave her mouth after that was "Where's Reno?"

And she was answered by nothing more than a stoic appearance that appeared forced as the man said. "He felt he'd be happier if he had nothing to do with Shinra." Then he subtly nodded and scratched at his chest with a slight sneer over the fact he was still wearing his brother's clothes and told the woman. "I want you to ensure all charges against him are dropped and that his name is cleared within twenty-four hours."

Then he went up to Reeve's office and handed the man a set of blueprints he obtained from Ten-ji's residence and informed. "These contain the locations of all the surveillance they tapped into… Hopefully it will help shed some light on the electrical glitches we've been experiencing as well"

- - -

About a week after the incident, Tseng was handed a ring found at the site that was still under decontamination orders, and found himself trying to swallow a hardened lump in his throat that wouldn't seem to go away. Then he closed his hand around the object and briefly closed his eyes before leaving to start preparations for a decent funeral he'd been denying up until that point.

"What's with the ring?" Elena asked, the moment he came home and found her in the kitchen, drying her hands off while she stared at the ring-finger of his right hand.

"It was my father's." He answered, before he placed his hands over his face and rubbed at his eyes. Then he added as if he was about to fall apart. "They said they found it by the remains of an unidentified creature… Possibly the source of the contamination…"

Not really knowing why Tseng was upset, the woman came quickly to his side to console him, only to find out that he lied to the authorities about what really happened, while he wound up telling her everything that happened from the start.

"He was just a simple vagabond when I met him…" He explained. "No home, no money… Nothing… He didn't even know how to defend himself…"

Then, he went on to explain that, even right from the start, he felt a brotherly attachment to the man and that they used to behave like silly boys often did and fooled around for kicks. It started out as a way for them to see who could disturb who the most by acting flirtatious to a point to where one of them would look at the other like he was out of his mind and step away, leaving one of them with a sense of victory over emasculating the other.

"But it got out of hand…" He explained. "We were so brainless… What we thought was harmless wound up being used against us."

"Sounds like you were typical boys to me…" Elena sighed, as she rubbed at his shoulder, and guided him over to the sofa while jokingly adding in an attempt to lighten the man's mood somewhat. "Even if I have a hard time imagining you as one."

With a subtle smile that wasn't very convincing, Tseng continued to explain the rest. But his remorse turned somewhat dark when he got to the part where Vincent wouldn't deny that anything ever happened between them, only for him to find out why over forty years later that "He was sleeping with my fiancé." Then he added as he sat back and sighed. "I lost everything because he couldn't keep it in his pants and wouldn't admit to it."

"Maybe he was afraid of losing you as a friend…" She suggested, as she sat back, beside him, and stroked her palm against the back of his head. "And maybe it just got harder for him as the years went by."

With a reflective nod, Tseng leaned toward her and sighed again, while admitting that she might have been right.

But despite her words, and the fact that he partially agreed, he still couldn't stop playing the man's last words over in his head and wished he would have let him finish, even though he highly suspected he didn't really want to know what it was.

- - -

"It never gets easy." Tifa mused, after she placed a second plate in front of Rude and sat across from him. "It's strange… For some reason I always saw Vincent as being someone that was indestructible."

"…"

With a sigh, she sat back and tapped her fork on her plate while staring at the table. "It's just so hard to believe." After that, she turned her attention to Rude and wondered how he managed after losing all of his own family and asked. "Do you ever miss them?"

While nodding, the man made a quick attempt to finish chewing his food and swallow it back before he admitted. "I don't think I ever really got over it."

"Who were you closest to?" She asked, with a sudden interest, as she leaned over the table and regarded him with a keen compassion.

"I guess…" With a moment of pause, to actually think about it, he took a deep breath and wiped at his mouth with a napkin. "I'd have to say my little brother."

"What was he like?"

"Reckless." He answered, as he stared at the ring he gave her and ran his hand over his scalp. "He was the most outspoken and obnoxious one out of all of us. But he meant well."

"Hm." She mused, as she thought about why that might have been. "It must have been hard to grow up so far away from home."

"It was… When we moved from Mideel, we were the only coloured family in the area… We weren't exactly accepted as part of the community."

"Is that why you're so awkward around women?"

With a bit of thought, the man shrugged and stood while motioning for Tifa to follow him to her living room and confessed in the form of a question. "Would you believe that I was an emotional child?"

"Yeah…" She admitted, as she leaned into him when he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Most tough guys are."

"Hm… The first girl I ever asked out laughed at me… And I ran home crying."

"Seriously?"

"Mm…" He nodded, as he sat both her and himself down and joked with an unreadable seriousness. "But if you tell anyone, I'm going to have to kill you."

"Not if I see you coming." She joked back, while crossing her arms in front of her stomach and leaning across his chest to look up at him.

"Cute…" He mused, realising that she was probably right. Then he pulled her up so she was cradled across his lap and traced his finger across her fine brow while she smiled and asked him why he'd been so quiet for most of the evening.

"I came across an anonymous letter today." He answered.

"Am I allowed to ask what it's about?"

With a nod, he continued to look down at her and commented that Reno was believed to have killed his mother several years ago.

"That's horrible!" She exclaimed, while making no attempt to hide the shock. Then she sat up and straddled his lap while asking in a hushed voice. "Did he do it?"

"Not according to the evidence that was in the envelope."

"What was it?"

"A confession." Rude informed, as she leaned back slightly and he supported her with his arms. "But that wasn't the evidence."

"What was?"

"There was a scalpel in it… We ran tests, but whoever it was… he or she was careful. The only DNA found on it was Reno's mother's."

With a strange contortion to her face, Tifa half-sneered in disbelief and muttered out "That's strange… So… did this _nut_ just use it once, hang on to it for a bunch of years, and then decide out of sheer conscience to just send it to you?"

"It would appear so." He admitted, as he thought about the signature being nothing more than a capital D. "Of course, we're continuing to look into it. But I can't tell you anything else, since the rest is confidential."

"Wow…" She muttered, as she stared at nothing and commented. "You're job is never dull, is it?"

"Sometimes…" He confessed, as he pulled her back toward him. "I wish it was."

"Does Reno know?"

"He knows as much as you do at this point." He told her, before he added. "We can't tell him anything else until we know the details."

"Is he okay with that?"

"He used to be a Turk." Rude reminded her, as he wandered his hands down her sides. "He knows he doesn't really have any other choice but to let us do our job and wait."

With a small giggle, she squirmed a little when he found a ticklish spot, and wound up laying across his lap again and looking up. "This isn't going to complicate things, is it?"

"How so?"

"Well… If we decided to have kids… Your job wouldn't _disallow_it or anything, would it?"

"You want kids?" He asked, not really knowing why he was surprised about it. But he was nonetheless, and when she nodded, he asked. "How many did you have in mind?"

"I don't know." She confessed. "I've always wanted to have at least one. But if it's something that would cause a problem, I'll always have the orphanage."

"Did you ever find out who was donating that money?"

"No."

"Hm…" He mused, before he decided to get back on the topic of them having their own children and thought about it. "I don't see why we couldn't try for our own…"

"Seriously?"

"Mm."

"How many did you want?"

"At the risk of scaring you away?" He asked, as he flicked her bang to the side and she nodded. "Five."

"Wow… That sounds so… _definite…_" She mused, as she thought about it, and realised that she kind of liked the idea of having a big family. Then she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down for a kiss while daring to make a suggestion. "Let's just start with one, though… And see how it goes from there."

"Now?"

"Why not?"

- - -

After a painful and trying month had gone by, Tseng appeared to return to his old self, somewhat, even though he remained more silent than he was before everything happened, and he never really did seem content about conducting the most honourable funeral he was capable of.

But he only appeared to be his old self during the days.

In the evenings, when no one but his immediate family was present, but asleep, he found himself tossing and turning, and replaying images and words over in his mind until he felt like madness would overtake him if he didn't find a way to cleanse himself of it. Then he would find himself with Vincent's gauntlet on his lap and sitting on his balcony, amidst the cold snow, with nothing but a pair of black pajamas on while he toyed with his father's ring and stared into space as if he was looking for something.

If it weren't for his wife, he might very well have gone mad. But she was well-aware of his distress, each time he climbed out of bed in frustration, and she would silently follow and watch him from the shadows as he muttered words of apologies and forgiveness to the wind, while knowing he could never ask for them in return.

Out of respect, she would wait for his sorrows to wane enough for her to approach without embarrassing the man, and when she did, she would tell him that she simply couldn't sleep, herself, and that she wondered where he wandered off to as she'd shiver and sit down beside him in hopes that she could help mend his soul.

But by day, Tseng was highly skilled at carrying out the expected façade many had come to take for granted, and he managed to make everyone around him believe that he was perfectly fine, even if Elena highly suspected that he was only doing it for his daughter's sake.

And as the month was beginning to turn into two, he was finding that he could actually smile without feeling guilty about it. But whether or not he'd ever let his conscience forgive him, was another story entirely.

- - -

After nearly two months of trying to coordinate his own meetings, on top of everything else, Rufus decided it was time to quit doting over things he had no control over. And he decided he'd find himself a new secretary, only to discover it was a painful process when it came to interviewing several women that were either too inept or outright liars on their resumes.

As a result, he was finding himself near his wit's end and almost ready to give up when Tseng entered his office with an, almost, conniving look on his face as he set a resume down in front of the man.

"What's this?" He asked, as he sat forward and pulled the papers toward him to look them over. Then he snorted and cocked his brow as he read over the impressive work history and skills the woman claimed to possess. "Rose Vanlain?" Then he pushed them away and sat back while claiming. "I'm in no mood to speak with anyone today."

"If I may, Sir…" Tseng started, as he pursed his lips and folded his hands loosely in front of him. "I feel you may change your mind once you speak with this one."

"Oh?" Rufus asked, with a disinterested cock to his brow as he stared at a picture of Dark Nation on his desk. Then he sighed and tapped his fingers on his desk while snidely asking. "Did you take the trouble of interviewing her already?"

"I'm afraid I didn't need to." The man replied, before he stepped closer to the President's desk and tapped on the papers. "This one has already proven their skills are forthright and genuine."

"Hm…" Rufus mumbled, sarcastically, then he sat forward and snidely remarked as he looked at the papers again. "I'm under the impression you already know this woman… Can you guarantee me that she's trustworthy and not another desperate liar that I'm simply going to have to fire because she was better at getting someone else to write her resume than she is at her actual job?"

"It's not my fault your difficult to work for, Sir." Tseng coolly commented, before he added. "But to answer your question, I'm afraid I can't guarantee that this one doesn't lie. But I _can_ guarantee you that… her… abilities are impeccable."

"You're up to something." Rufus calmly accused, as he folded his hands in front of him and sceptically looked the man over. Then he sighed and muttered out "Very well," while adjusting his coat and decided he might as well play along. "Send this… _Rose_ in then."

With a faint hint of a grin, as the President continued to look at him with a growing distrust, Tseng bowed and then walked to the door, before he uncomfortably cleared his throat and called out "Rose?" Then he opened the door a little more and answered to something that Rufus could only guess must have been a gesture since he didn't hear any response. "The President will see you now."

Then, the man uncomfortably cleared his throat once more, as Rufus shook his head and frowned while grabbing the papers to look over them again.

He didn't bother to look up and simply commented after Tseng left the room that. "It says, here, that you're adept at dealing with system malfunctions, and hardware failures." He coldly stated, as the woman kept silent and took a light-footed step forward. Then, with a sigh, he flipped the page and remarked on the fact that "I'm afraid I'm not looking for someone with all of these skills… I simply need someone to answer the phone and tend to scheduling… perhaps some slight hostess skills for when conferences are held. Other than that, I'm afraid you may be overqualified."

After that, he brushed his bang out of his eye and motioned his hand to the seat in front of his desk while continuing to keep his eyes on the papers. "Perhaps you can tell me why you're interested in this position."

"Well…" Came a raspy-sounding voice. "Ever since some crazy scientist shoved a Meteor cell down my throat, I figure I have a rather sexy-soundin voice… Heard that comes in handy when dealin with difficult people." With a slightly nervous snicker, as the President finally lifted his eyes far enough to stare at a pair of worn-out pants, the person who claimed their name was Rose stepped forward. "But I should warn ya… I have a bit of a temper'n I tend ta be a little stubborn."

"Rose…" Rufus breathed out, as if he was suddenly in a daze, and lifted his eyes further to stare at the man as if he was a child looking up.

"Yeah…" The man admitted, before he stepped toward the desk and grabbed his resume to wave his fingers at the name. "Discovered that when I changed the letters around in my name that I could make it sound kinda pretty…Classy too."

"And how long did it take you to come up with that?" Rufus asked, as he tried to fight off the sudden child-like feeling he suddenly had.

"Not long…" Reno confessed. "Rose came rather naturally… After that, took me no more'n a couple'a seconds ta come up with somethin convincin with the rest'a the letters."

"Impressive."

"Yeah…"

With a sigh, Rufus shook his head to brush off the numbness he was feeling and straightened up with a professional cool. "I understand you've been given a clean bill of health."

"Yeah… No more Ren…" Reno answered, as he raised his brow and rocked on his feet. "Figured since I had some control that I'd get ma a normal job'n rent a small house that needed fixin."

"I heard you were working as a mechanic over in Edge."

"Keepin tabs on me?"

"Well, you _are_ the first Turk to ever leave with your life intact." Rufus reminded him. "It wouldn't be wise to not keep an eye on you." Then he sat back and brushed at the front of his coat. "So, why are you here?" After that, he waved his hand at the resume in Reno's hand and sarcastically commented. "I'm assuming it isn't because you'd really like to be my secretary."

"Heh… Yeah… I…" Reno started, as he nervously scratched at the back of his neck. "Thought it was only fair ta tell ya that… I think I might've fallen in love with someone…"

"I see." With every attempt to act as though it meant nothing to him, Rufus sat back and ran his eyes over the man's face with a cold austerity. "Anyone I know?"

"Yeah…" With another nervous snicker, the redhead ran his fingers over the back of the chair and stared at the desk. "He's complicated, a bit of a freak… An he's moody as hell, But…"

"He…" Rufus repeated, as he cut the man off from finishing and figuring there wasn't much guesswork to who it might have been. "Would I be correct to assume he's blonde?"

"Yeah…" With a bit of a nod, Reno bit on the bottom of his lip and stared directly into Rufus' eyes. "Only, I… don't think he knows… Kinda left on bad terms."

"So, you haven't told him." Rufus concluded, before he stood and walked over to his window to look out over the city.

"No… Haven't actually talked ta him since I told him I never wanted ta see him again." The redhead rasped, as he stared at the back of Rufus' head. Then he turned his attention to the reflection of the man's face while letting out a small breath. "Been kinda spendin my time in solitude… Tryin ta figure things out… Ya know?"

"Mm… I'm afraid I don't understand why you feel the need to go out of your way to tell me."

"Cuz…" Reno started, as he walked up to the man and stood beside him. "Whether either of us like it or not, yer kinda involved."

"Hm."

With a slight moment of silence, Reno leaned against the window so he could see Rufus' expressionless eyes as they continued to stay away from him as the man focused on the city below, before he finally looked over at Reno's earring and admitted with a slightly scratchy voice.

"I believe… being dumped by you once was enough." Then he turned and started to walk away before Reno grabbed his arm and held him in place. "You're free to do as you please, Reno…" He informed in a clinical manner. "Be it with Cloud, some whore on third… or any other lowlife for that matter…"

Then he pulled his arm free and walked back over to his desk and sat down to pull something, anything, out of his drawer to keep him occupied. "Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."

With a slight snort, Reno shook his head and walked up behind the man to see that he was looking at a menu for a restaurant and placed his hands on the back of the man's chair to tilt it back while stating. "I don't think we're on the same level here." Then he turned his gaze over to the menu for a moment and went distant as he muttered out. "Or maybe we are…"

With a shake to his head to clear it out, he added. "Dunno… Dunno if it would matter if I told ya the man was a pompous prick."

After that, he let go of the chair and snorted as he folded his resume and placed it in the breast pocket of his coat. "Never really been good at this sorta thing, ya know?" Then he sarcastically snickered and raised his brow as he stared at the floor. "Anyway… Was'n expectin much more, really… Jus thought I should let ya know… Guess I jus needed ta say it."

Once he took a moment to wallow in the following silence, as Rufus continued to stare at his menu, Reno let out a deep breath as if he'd been holding it and started to walk toward the door while speaking without facing the man. "By the way… Good luck with yer secretary…"

"Wait."

After another moment that seemed to last longer than it really did, Reno simply froze under the request as Rufus absent-mindedly tapped his fingers on his desk. Then he stood and adjusted his coat as he walked to the front of it and stopped.

"What, exactly, were you hoping to achieve?"

"Dunno…" Reno admitted, before he turned around and lazily leaned against the door. "Guess I jus thought I'd see if, maybe, we could start over or somethin." Then he placed his hands in his pocket and jingled the loose change that was in them. "Ya know… Maybe see if we could get it right."

"I see."

"Yeah…" Then he admitted that he wasn't exactly expecting Rufus to leap into his arms or anything. "But I figured it was worth a shot… that maybe we could take it slow, ya know…? I'd stay where I'm at an we could jus, kinda go from there…"

"And you would be comfortable with that." Rufus asked in a flat tone, before he clasped his hands behind his back and stepped up to the man to aloofly study him.

"Dunno…"

"Hm." As he continued to study the man, he stepped slightly closer and narrowed his eyes in a manner of test. "And if I wanted you to return home?"

"I'd say no." Reno answered, before he twisted the right corner of his mouth and returned the study in a less defensive way than what he was receiving. "Never really been on my own before… Jus feel like I need it."

"I see…" Rufus mused, as his stance lightened up somewhat and he cocked his brow at the man. "At least you're being honest." Then he unclasped his hands and rested the palm of his right hand near Reno's head to test the man's reaction and lowered his voice as he openly contemplated the proposal. "I suppose we could attempt to see where things go."

Then he became even more bold and placed his hand on Reno's hip, as he moved closer. "But I do have one condition, if we're going to try and make things work."

"I ain't surprised." Reno admitted, as he looked up at the man and took the toothpick from his mouth.

"I didn't think you would be."

"So, what is it?"

"I promised you a vacation… Years ago." Rufus reminded the man, as he placed his hand on the man's cheek and ran his eyes over the scars. "I wanted nothing more than to give you everything you could ever ask for, and I meant it." As the man's look softened, he lightly caressed his fingers down to graze them over the redhead's lips and added. "I'd like to fulfill that promise." Then he leaned his forehead against Reno's and lightly rubbed his nose against his.

"That's yer condition?"

"Not quite." Rufus muttered, as he rested his body closer and dropped his hand to place it at Reno's waist where his brother stabbed him. "The conditional part, is that I will insist that you stay by my side the entire time, and that you honour me at least one evening by walking with me on the beach and holding my hand."

"An if I say no?"

"Then I don't see the point in attempting to start over." After that, he pushed himself back and started to return to his desk. "Whether you want to believe it or not, all I've ever asked of you was that you be at my side, and you could never properly do it." Then he turned and tapped his fingers on his desk. "So, now I'm going to outright ask you… I'm willing to give you the world, Reno… All I'm asking in return is that you openly admit to something everybody already knows."

"Yer a shit…" Reno muttered, as Rufus leaned against the front of his desk and brushed his bang back.

"I'm aware of that." The man agreed, before he spread his legs slightly and cocked his brow as if he were mocking the redhead. "Would you have expected anything less?"

"No."

"Good." Rufus chirped, as he stood and cockily grinned. "Next month looks like the perfect time to go someplace warm… Should I clear out my schedule?"

"Sure…" Reno muttered again, before he turned around and placed his hand on the knob. "But if I gotta do the fruity thing an hold yer fuckin hand, yer gonna hafta suck it up an go fishin with me."

"I suppose I can do that."

"Yer fuckin right ya can."

Then the redhead left without looking back while Rufus stood there with a satisfying grin over the fact that he wasn't the only one who wanted to start over with the hopes of getting it right for a change.

* * *

I know that some people knew I actually had a different ending in mind. But something just felt so complete about this chapter that I think it's best to end it here. It became more evident as I went over it a couple of times, and I just get the feeling that if I were to continue that it would be like flogging a dead horse. 

So, I hope everyone that stuck around enjoyed it, and got a good feeling of satisfaction over the way it ended. And as far as Darius went, I have to admit that I've always enjoyed stories where something was left hanging since finality always seems _too_ final.

This way, the imagination is left to wander and contemplate things that could possibly still happen, and I don't know about you guys, but I kind of like the idea that Reno and Rufus will always be left with some sort of unexplained conflict to constantly test their relationship.

In all honesty, my original intention was to try and keep this story around 25 chapters. But my dang muses turned evil on me and started acting up, making it difficult for me to finalize this blasted thing.

So, on that note, I hope you all enjoyed the story. It's always a challenge to write online, since it's live, and you can't always go back and change things that happened earlier on to make it work when you change your mind, which I'm sure a good number of you know. However, I have to admit that that's one of the reasons I enjoyed doing it so much, it left me with a sense of challenge and a good number of head-scratches at how the hell I was going to recover from some of the thoughtless things I wrote.

Sometimes it worked, and other times, I went "How the hell am I gonna recover from that?" Or "Damn! I wish I never posted that, cuz now I gotta fix it… AAAGGGHHH!"

Well, enough rambling…

Thanks to everyone that reviewed. It's always a pleasure to read everyone else's thoughts and ideas on where things are going or where they'd like them to go, and it's always a pleasure to see other's opinions, good or bad.

So now, if you'll all excuse me, I need to finish editing DOM, like I promised, and then move onto this one, which I'm sure will make me cringe.

_Yikes!_

Regards,

kremesch


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